Living by Grace

This book is a must read for any believer that struggles with pride - well, that makes all of us.

The author defines pride and humility as:

“In order to define humility, we will start by looking at the definition of humility’s opposite: pride. What is pride? Pride consists in attributing to ourselves and demanding for ourselves the honour, privileges, prerogatives, rights and power that are due to God alone. Thus, it is the very root and essence of sin because pride at its core, is idolatry of self. A proud person has put himself or herself in God’s place.

Humility, then, consists in a attitude wherein we recognize our own insignificance and unworthiness before God and attribute to Him the supreme honour, praise, prerogatives, rights, privileges, worship, devotion, authority, submission and obedience that He alones deserves. It also involves a natural, habitual tendency to think and behave in a manner that appropriately expresses this attitude. In other words, the attitude of humility is always seen in humble actions. It means having a servant’s mind-set and always putting self last.”

Why are there so few who seem to be humble nowadays? Why do we as Christians find it so hard to be humble and meek? It seems that if one doesn’t show themselves to be either self-assured or self-confident, they are thought to be weak and not worth bothering about. Yet it is this assuredness, this self-esteem which stems from pride that is rife in the Church today.

Pride is a serious problem in our lives and nobody imagines that they are guilty themselves of it. God hates pride but promises to bless those who are humble in heart. Pride is a preoccupation with one’s self - “Look at me!”- but self was supposed to have died at the Cross, so why are we so preoccupied with it?

Russel Kelfer has this to say about pride: “It’s not like so many areas of our lives where we simply choose to obey and the visible tangible evidences are there to confirm our transformation. Not so with pride. It hides in corners. It disguises itself as righteousness, and only on close observation is it revealed to be SELF…righteousness.”

This book forces us to examine ourselves and shows us ways we can fight against pride and cultivate humility.

Ending this review are some words again on humility by the author Wayne Mack:
“Truly humble people will serve Christ no matter what the job is. They are willing to wash the feet of others as much as they are willing to lead because they have a humble and godly perspective on their work…… because they are doing it all for the glory of God.”

Speaking of pests, in the time it took for me to go and come back from the shop I found that the Sulphur Crested Cockatoos had decided to see what lemons tasted like. Grrrr……I was so mad. Luckily the tree had been dripping with the fruit so I still have plenty. Do you have a glut of lemons? Well, you could eat them, wash with them, freeze the juice, leave them for the birds but I say let’s use them in some tasty cooking.

Easy Lemonade
1 cup lemon juice (4-6 lemons)
1 cup water
½ - 1 cup sugar ( depends on taste - I try to use less sugar)

1. Heat the sugar and water in a small pot until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Add the lemon juice and pour into a large jug.
3.Add 5-6 cups of cold water and refrigerate.

Lemon Meringue Pie
200 g plain sweet biscuits, crushed
125 grams butter, melted
395 grams tin condensed milk
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup caster sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Combine biscuit crumbs and butter then press into the base and sides of a tart tin. (The easiest way to crush biscuits is in a food processor. Once they are crushed pour in the melted butter while the machine is still running.) Refrigerate until firm.
3. Beat together condensed milk, egg yolks and lemon juice. Pour into prepared base. Bake in oven for 10 minutes and remove.
4. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar until sugar has dissolved. Spoon meringue over filling making sure meringue touches the crust on the edge.
5. Bake 10 - 15 minutes until golden. Serve warm or cold.
This is delicious served hot with vanilla ice-cream.

Tangy Lemon Loaf
125g soft butter
225ml Castor sugar
2 eggs
400ml flour, sifted
10ml baking powder
125ml milk
finely grated rind of one lemon
Topping:
125ml castor sugar
50ml lemon juice

1.Preheat oven to 180°C and grease a loaf tin.
2. Place all ingredients into a bowl and beat for two minutes.
3. Pour into tin and bake for 45 - 60 min. (insert skewer to check if cooked)
4. Combine topping ingredients and pour over still hot cake.
5. Garnish with lemon zest, if desired.

I have prayed for so long for a home to call my own yet it has not been granted to me and I still wait and I still pray. I have no anger, disappointment or bitterness lurking in my heart because it may seem that God has not answered my prayer about this. What I do have is a yearning so deep that it is difficult to explain. This yearning I have is to serve God in the way I believe He is leading and training me.

I have always been a practical person, someone who loves the land and wants to learn all that I can. A desire of my heart is to own some land with a few dwellings on it and to grow food to feed others, give shelter to those who need it as times get tough.

I admit there is a conflict within that I wrestle with often. I know we are to be content with what we have and with where we are at the present moment:

Phl 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content.

 1Ti 6:8 but having food and covering we shall be therewith content.

 Hbr 13:5 Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have: for himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee.

I also know that God gives us desires in our hearts at times for His purpose:

 Psa 37:4 Delight thyself also in Jehovah; And he will give thee the desires of thy heart.

Psa 84:11 No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

 Rom 8:28 And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, to them that are called according to [his] purpose.

  Phl 4:19 And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 

Because there is the danger that my passions could cause me to become discontent and frustrated I find myself constantly asking God to align my desires up with what He has desired for me in my Christian life. I thank Him for where I am right now and ask Him to teach me patience and contentment.

It is true that as Christians God does not always give us what we want or desire and many will ask why, or begin to doubt, but we need to understand that our desires must be in line with God’s will. God does answer prayer but He answers in His way, in His timing and the awesome realisation that we need to comprehend is that the almighty, sovereign God loves us and works all things to the good according to His perfect will. It is when we truly understand and embrace this fact we can walk in faith having full confidence in the sovereignty of God.

Perhaps He needs to first prepare and equip us. We may not be spiritually mature enough for the task that He has set before us. As God transforms us into the image of Christ He has to remove that which hinders us (sins) as we learn to live by “not I but Christ”. I know that there is still much change to be wrought within me.

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 

Our spiritual growth can take many years; most times it takes a lifetime. In the meantime as I wait and pray I know that I am to be found working. There is much for me to learn about agriculture, making cheese, growing crops etc. There is also much for me to do in serving God and those that belong to Him, as well as being a witness of His grace. My deepest desires will stay with me until God either says no or they are fulfilled.

Another of my favourites from my DVD collection is Elizabeth Gaskell’s Cranford, starring three wonderful actresses: Judi Dench, Julia Sawalha and Claudie Blakley among a fantastic cast of British actors.

The five part miniseries follows the lives of the people in a small English town, Cranford, in the 1840’s, the changes they have to adapt to and the effect that the dashing new Doctor has on some of the spinsters in the town. Gossip is the natural order of the day and without ado what seems insignificant is quickly blown out of proportion at times by the ladies, who as spinsters firmly believe they are way superior than men.

It is excellent, you will weep, you will laugh, you will not want it to end. It is not often that we can find a series like this. The acting is superb, the scenery wonderful and all I can say is “Well done BBC”.

Running time is 5 hours.

Living here has been such a life learning experience for us. There is always more to learn, more to see, more to experience which leads me to believe I will never tire of it. The beauty of nature and life is all around us. Here are just a few of the visitors we have had the joy to behold.

The Carpet Python has shed its skin three times since we first spotted it. It is quite a eerie feeling to wake up in the morning and discover a sizeable discarded skin on the veranda. I have started to count my chickens each morning as they are easy prey. I can only hope the snake is selective and takes the ones that I want to be rid of in any case.

This Green Tree Frog has been a joy to watch. For four years it has lived in the bottom of my self-watering planter and comes out at night to catch the insects that are attracted to the porch light. This picture was taken when we discovered it under a wet towel that we had draped over the railing.

The Sulphur Crested Cockatoos are beautiful and playful and we at first thought it was a great idea to feed them to attract them. Well, it is not a good idea because they can be pests. They will nibble on the fruit on your fruit trees,  chew on your pumpkins and anything else they find palatable. My neighbours have built a large feeding station in their front yard which can attract up to 40 birds at times. Needless to say this has not made me smile.

King Parrots are glorious. They are rather shy but will eventually sit patiently while you place seed down for them.

Rainbow Lorikeets are also beautiful. Their bright colours remind me of the glory and magnificence of God. These birds are playful, loud and fun to watch. When the native trees are in bloom they feed on the flowers with much gusto and noise.

Our resident Possum - I never invited him. He has decided to stay around and it is a constant challenge to outwit him. Why? Well, he loves nothing better than to nibble on pumpkins in the dead of night, so I have had to diligently cover every pumpkin that I can, every evening, with whatever I can find. This has resulted in my front garden looking rather strange with plant pots, buckets, wire cages and netting everywhere. Possums can be a pest so I am hoping that soon he will move on but the kids think he is so cute.

BBC made a 10 part series called Berkeley Square in 1998 which followed the lives of three Edwardian nannies. These young women from different backgrounds meet and become friends when they are taken on as nannies in the wealthy households of London’s exclusive Berkeley Square.It is like a soap opera without the sleaze and lengthy drawn out scenes.

The nannies go through good times and bad times, seeing and hearing things they try to keep to themselves, yet their lives unwittingly become entangled with those they serve. Mattie is strong willed and determined; Lydia is quite naive having lived all her life on a farm and Hannah brings with her drama in the form of her baby for who she will do anything.

I could hardly stop watching - I needed to know what happened next. It is an excellent series and unfortunately BBC did not make a second series as it did not draw enough viewers at the time. Little did they know how many of us wish they had.

Running time is 8 hours.

I don’t normally listen to 96.5 radio, not since I complained about a popular song that they played often which contained blasphemy. Even though I spoke to the manager they continued playing it. I found it very sad at that time that according to him I was the only person that complained. What is going on? Is it now acceptable for Christians to use the name of the Lord in vain or sing along with a song that contains it?

Anyway, lately I have had to borrow my son’s car a few times (mine is broken) and have listened to 96.5 radio. I just want to weep. They are promoting and advertising Benny Hinn’s Sydney Miracle Crusade in May and Kenneth Copeland’s upcoming Brisbane Victory Campaign at the end of May. These are just two of the signs and wonders ministries they are advertising.

Benny Hinn and Kenneth Copeland are wolves in sheep’s clothing. All they want is your money. It is an interesting fact that to attend these two events you have to register. Mmm….I wonder why? Well, I will tell you. It is to get your contact details, especially your e-mail address so that they can continue to solicit you for funds. The Bible says that” And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. (2Pe 2:3)

They are false teachers and for the sake of money they will teach anything. There are plenty of apologists who will explain why they are considered false, just do a search online. The Bible says that many will follow their destructive ways (2Pe 2:2) and that is why they have many followers, but it does not mean that what they do is of God. Please, please be discerning. If you are looking for a miracle from God you will not find it there. Oh, they know exactly how to play the audience and how to make it look like “miracles” are happening but there has never been one authenticated case.

Scripture is full of warnings of false teachers yet it seems that today many Christians have no discernment and they will follow anyone who can offer them something more, something supernatural. All false teachers and false prophets are an affront to the person and ministry of Jesus Christ. They are wolves. Don’t let them devour you!

I have been homeschooling now for six years and for the most part it has been a wonderfully rewarding experience. However, I will say that homeschooling is not for everyone and the decision to homeschool needs to be between the family and God. Everyone is in a different situation and those who say that for Christians homeschooling is the only way are wrong. I have seen families where there is hardly any teaching happening and families where the opposite extreme is held.

Homeschooling is hard work. I am always conscious of gaps in my sons’ education and even though I strive to fill these gaps I know that there will always be knowledge that I will have missed to pass on. Sometimes I long for the days of old when all children had to learn were the three Rs. In today’s society they are expected to know so much more especially as history, technology and even geography expands. When I was in school there were less countries and capital cities to remember. There was no such thing as computer studies, economics, design and technology to name a few. A problem we all face today is that we need to make sure our children are educated to a standard that will enable them to pursue a career they might choose and that our sons will one day be able to provide for their own families without having to rely on the government to support them.

I will say it again: homeschooling is hard work and those who think that they can just breeze through their children’s education are in for a rude awakening later on. I am one who considers myself to be on top of things but I have fallen short in many ways. I have allowed my laziness to be perpetuated and tolerated in my sons and we are all now suffering for it. I have a son who is now in grade 12, about to write his first SAT exam and is incapable of writing a good essay. Why? Because I placed the “written communication skills” in the too hard basket. Trying to persuade boys who hate writing is hard and defeating and it was all too easy over the years to let it slide.

This realisation and admittance of my shortcomings has been a hard knock but one that was desperately needed. As always God is faithful and He brought help into our lives recently in the form of Jason, the boys’ teacher who we are now registered with. Jason immediately saw the lack of written skills and set about implementing a program for the boys. Let me straight away say that the boys rebelled and are still often rebelling, but I persevered and am persevering, with Jason’s help.

I am also thankful that I have only two to teach at home. I do not believe that I would be able to give what is needed to more than that. It has also given me the time and opportunity to study and obtain my Certificate 111 in Aged Care. I am now looking to study Agriculture in the next year or so. Perhaps my sons will join me…….one can hope.

The start of our harvest

I love Jap pumpkins. They are easy to grow, easy to peel and taste great. This year I am enjoying a bountiful harvest of pumpkins and squash, even though the possums nibbled on some which I had to throw out. I notice that we have enough bees around this season but I remember back when I had to fertilise each female flower by hand to ensure pollination.

If you have pumpkins growing and the baby fruit is rotting it could be because they have not been pollinated. This is easy to remedy. Early in the morning and using a cotton bud, take some pollen off the male stamens and gently rub the pollen onto the female stamen.

Male flower

These two flowers look very different. The male has only one long stamen and the female has a curled bunch of stamens including a small fruit at its base, which begins to grow when the flower has been pollinated. If you don’t have a cotton bud, simply pick the male flower, pull off all the petals and pollinate the female flower with the pollen from the stamen.

Female flower

There are so many ways to cook squash or pumpkin. My family enjoy squash grated with skin on and fried with a little butter, garlic, salt and pepper - very quick to make.

Here is a pumpkin recipe we enjoy. It is usually made without any meat but I normally add diced chicken - my boys look at me askew if I serve up only vegetables.

Pumpkin and vegetable curry.

A little olive oil
1 large onion, diced
crushed garlic
3 Tbls Indian curry paste (mild or hot)
2 large tomatoes, diced
300g can chick peas, drained
3 cups chopped vegetables (carrots, potatoes, green beans or whatever you have on hand)
2-3 cups chopped pumpkin
(600g diced chicken if desired)
1 can coconut milk
Salt & pepper

1. Heat oil, sauté onions and garlic until soft. Add curry paste and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add chicken (if using) cook for 5 minutes, then add all vegetables, chick peas, salt & pepper, coconut milk and one can water.
3. Simmer for 20 minutes (check if vegetables are cooked through).
4. Serve with rice.

Because my two youngest are fussy I chopped the onion and tomatoes in the food processor until almost pulp - makes the sauce thick and flavoursome without the boys knowing what is in it. This recipe will serve six or more. It can be stretched by adding more chicken or vegetables. As I always have leftovers, the following day I make a large batch of curried chicken and vegetable pies.

I want to try an experiment here, seeing I am on the worldwide web. I know that when I have done searches on the web for likeminded in Queensland I have not being able to have much success. This could be due to not using the right search words or the fact that not many Australians write about themselves or their views online. It could also be that my beliefs and views are thought to be too out there or controversial but I am at peace with that.

I would love to meet others in Queensland who are farmer wannabes or who enjoy growing their own food, including meat. We could learn together or pass on our knowledge. I long for someone to teach me how to take better care of my cows or how to build a temporary cattle yard as mine are always too flimsy. I am interested in all parts of agriculture and have decided that if I am praying for a small farm someday (if the Lord tarries) I need to learn as much as I can. I would like to study agriculture but unfortunately it is not offered in Queensland as an external study option. I would have to do it through New South Wales Tafe and travel to Sydney for the practical subjects. Therefore if you ever read this, are likeminded and anywhere around Brisbane I would love to hear from you.

I am also seeking others who are dispensationalists. In my studies of theology I have taken the dispensational view and I hover between Acts 2 and Acts 9 as the beginning of the dispensation of grace. I would love to hear from others in Queensland or Australia even who hold this view.

I know that God at times works in the most wonderful and mysterious ways whether for our sanctification, chastisement, growth or when He is answering prayer. I do not consider myself dogmatic and I pray that God will work in me according to His will, whether in my desires or in my understanding of His Word.

Maybe nobody will answer. Maybe only after much time has passed. It does not matter because I find it so exciting to be able to even do this……….who knows……..I will wait patiently…….just maybe.