Creative Playtime

After a morning supermarket shopping which culminated with some horrid tantrums from Ed and Mummy on our return, the boys really enjoyed some creative play this afternoon. They rearranged the dining room chairs into a castle configuration and, along with the help of some baby toys which were utilised as a control panel, made a spaceship underneath the table. I realise that there's an anachronism going on here but, hey, who cares when you're having fun. Please excuse the hideous, smelly dummy. He's had it since he decided to give up bfing at 14 months and I am finding it impossible to get rid of. Arrrrggggghhhh!

Blessings in Brokeness

Brokeness is not something we normally celebrate. In fact, in today's consumer driven society we cast away the broken without a thought, replacing it with a newer, pristine version. But the Bible is clear that God will not despise 'a broken and contrite heart' (Psalm 51:17 NIV). In fact, when we look throughout the Bible it is apparent that brokeness is indeed the perfect starting point for blessing. Isaiah is particularly rich in images of the Father taking that which is barren and reinvigorating it:
'I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.' Isaiah 43:19 NIV
'...To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning...' Isaiah 61:3 NLT

In a way we are all broken; we all come into the world with the imprint of sin upon us and, as such, are equally in need of His restorative touch. For some, however, brokeness becomes who we are. We have broken hearts, minds or bodies, and that brokeness seems to become our identity. Sadly, the world is not a friendly place for the broken. It is a place where euthanasia is becoming an increasingly acceptable way to deal with the brokeness of chronic illness. It is a place where babies are denied the right to life because they have 'broken' chromosomes. It is a place where the brokeness of mental illness is stigmatised and feared. And one can only ask, where is God in the midst of all this brokeness? What is he doing about it? I am not a theologian. I can't give you answers filled with scriptural wisdom. I can only reflect on what I observe in my own life and the lives of those whose stories have touched my own.

The boys have a young friend with microcephaly. His brain does not work in quite the same way as mine or yours. He may never grow beyond the capacities of a small child. Society considers him broken. And yet, Jesus was quite clear that we must 'change and become like little children' in order to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3). So one might ask who it is that has the disadvantage in life? I suppose it depends how you perceive success. If life is measured in terms of financial reward and physical independence, then it is surely we who have the advantage. BUT, I truly believe in the opening words of the Westminster catechism that man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. And this young man, with his childish joy and faith, emmanates God's glory in a way that most adults never could. So surely, it is we who are the broken ones, our innocence smashed by rationalism and worldly desires.

In my life I have had two friends with quite severe mental health problems. Their lives have been acutely affected by mental illness. They have operated under constraints which the average Joe Public has no knowledge of. Such a shame. What a waste. Is that how God would have us respond? Truly, I have never known such brave and determined folk as these. Campaigning against injustices, spreading the gospel despite many setbacks and much criticism. Overcoming gossip and rejection. Trusting in God against all the odds.

One of these friends died suddenly several years ago. At the time I felt very angry with God that he had never healed this young man. He had not married, not been able to find employment, had lived alone in a council flat. Why would God not have healed him so that he was able to enjoy the things that we take for granted? After all, he came to give 'life in all its fullness' didn't he?! (John 10:10) I have to admit that I have not quite reconciled this question in my own heart; it will certainly be one of the things I ask God when I finally stand face to face with him. What I can say, however, is that my friend was never mediocre, never nominal, never overcome by worldliness. He was on fire for God. He had to be. God was his medicine, his sanity, his lifeline. So was he broken or was he blessed? I will share with you the scripture that was read at his funeral, and let you decide.

'We have this treasure from God. But we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that this great power is from God, not from us. We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up. We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed. We carry the death of Jesus in our own bodies, so that the life of Jesus can also be seen in our bodies.'
2 Corinthians 4: 7-10

An email acquaintance of mine has the following tagline: 'Blessed are the broken, for they let out the light'. Sometimes we hide because we are broken, or we hide our brokeness behind all kind of worldly garments such as career or homemaking. But our brokeness can be a blessing, if we will just embrace it and cry out to God, asking that his light would shine through our cracks, transforming a broken pot into an agent of grace and glory.

Domesticity

In our current financial crisis (note - current - they happen fairly frequently) I am trying to save money by being savvy with my meal planning. I am planning a weekly menu and only buying the ingredients and items needed for that week. I have to say I feel so much peace about it, having previously been a wait 'til 4pm and then start raiding cupboards and praying for inspiration. Also, we spent about £20 less on groceries this week, which is an added bonus. The children are not so enthused about my plan since to be honest I had become rather lazy and was beginning to rely rather on convenience foods, so now they have to eat real honest tucker. Not popular, I can tell you. I am trying to include a few favourites of theirs in the mix too, so they don't feel so badly done to. Anyway, I thought I'd share my meal plan for next week and see what you think.

Monday

Penne rigate with sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts

French bread

Salad

(from Vegan Feasts by Rose Elliot)

Tuesday

Spiced potato turnovers

Couscous

Colourful bean salad

(Vegan Feasts)

Wednesday

Barley and lentil savoury

Fresh bread

Salad

(from Easy Vegan Cooking by Leah Leneman)

Thursday

Chilli bean roast with tomato sauce

Jacket spuds

Salad

(Easy Vegan Cooking)

Friday

Homemade Pizza

(from Jo's imagination)

Saturday

Mixed veg dahl

Rice

(Vegan Feasts)

Sunday

Vegan toad in the hole

Roast veggies and spuds

(Easy Vegan Cooking)

I'm going to make some puddings as well, which will be interspersed with fruit and yogurt for the sake of all our figures. I'll be making

Bread and butter pudding

Strawberry shortcake

Date and pecan cake

Scones

Flapjacks

Lunches will be a mixture of

Jacket spuds with beans/cheese for the non-vegans/hummous + salad

Sandwiches

Filled pitta

Homemade soup

I am also trying hard to bake more of my own bread but this is something I need to work very hard at as I find it hard to fit into the day.

I guess you might say I'm nesting BUT I still can't get my butt into gear and wash any baby clothes or think about what I might need for this littlie. Help, only 10 and a bit weeks to go.

Lego Boy

Our eldest son absolutely adores Lego. He spends every spare minute either building models or using his limited computer time to play Lego Indiana Jones or peruse the Lego website. So I thought I'd include some pics of him with his latest creations. Bless him.

Jo

Some London Pics

We recently enjoyed a family trip to London. Enjoy is rather a creative term really, as I was ill for most of the time we were there. Anyway, here are a few pics from everyone's favourite visitor attraction: The Imperial War Museum. Fabulous. So educational. If you are over 14 the Holocaust Exhibition is a must,... lest we forget.

Candlemas

We had a lovely day today celebrating Candlemas. We started off this morning reading the story of Jesus' dedication in the temple and relating it to the annual blessing of church candles because He is the light of the world. This afternoon we made lemon cakes and cookies as celebration desserts, and painted empty glass jars for our candle table centrepiece. A lovely day. I sooo love the rhythm of celebrating feast days and festivals. Now looking forward to St Valentine's Day, especially as I bought some bargain heart shaped cake tins for £1.20 each yesterday. Too many cakes though; not really great for my expanding figure. Lol!!

A Snowy Adventure

It was all fairly Biblical really. Mary and Jo were on a journey. A baby was expected. They needed a place to stay. Danger was encountered. And there were angels....

The snow had started as we were driving northwards on the motorway, reinforcing the popular held belief that it is, in fact, grim up north. Steady at first, it reminded me of a swirling mass of dandelion seeds, dancing gently on a summer’s breeze. Only much colder. As we progressed, however, it became the kind of heavy, inexorable snowstorm that constitutes driving hell. Regardless, we ploughed forwards and were able to fulfil our intended purpose before beginning to head home. Then it happened,... we were stuck.

Not just any old stuck, you understand, but stuck in a most
inconvenient manner in the middle of the road. Passers by looked on and hasty prayers were said. And then, out of the snow, two middle aged, bearded and be-hatted northern blokes came to our rescue. Pushing us effortlessly out of the snow drift in which we had become stuck, back onto the navigable part of the carriageway, they could only be angels. Angels, of course, can come in either human or celestial form, and which of the two these gentlemen were I would not like to say. This I do know, however; they were sent by our heavenly Father to help us in a time of need, and we blessed them wholeheartedly and praised God for his mercy and provision as we crept gingerly forwards, bound for home.

It wasn’t long before we were calling for heavenly help and assistance once more. As we approached the brow of a remote rural hill, headed towards the Southbound motorway, we began to slide downwards, out of control in the direction of the roadside barrier. We didn’t hit the barrier with much force but were now completely off the road in the middle of nowhere in a freezing blizzard. Ever the pessimist, thoughts crossed my mind of walking miles to find help and dying of hypothermia along the way. Oh help us God. And surely help came.

A red truck came over the brow of the hill and slowly pulled up behind us. Two men got out of the cab. Middle aged, bearded and be-hatted chaps with a distinct northern twang. Could it be the same men as before? Surely the snow was playing havoc with our sensibilities, but once more our angel helpers achieved the seemingly impossible. They pushed the car, initially embedded in a snowdrift and rammed firm against the barrier, back onto the road. And then they were gone.

Having given up on our quest to get home we now sought a place of refuge overnight. We had a couple more hairy incidents along the way but God protected us and guided us to safety. I have to say that it wasn’t the most pleasant journey I’ve ever made but probably the one from which I’ve learned most. I knew in my heart, all along, that God would take care of us if we trusted him. I felt that the journey was a bit like life. If we place ourselves in God’s hands we will be safe. We will still have to go through difficult and challenging times, and sometimes it will seem as though we are heading off course, veering out of control, or stranded by the wayside. But he will never leave us or forsake us. When, shortly after arriving at our destination, I was moaning to God about some other difficulty in life (how quickly my gratitude and faith can turn to doubt and grumbling) he very clearly told me that if he would bring me through this transient, physical snowstorm how much more would he bring me through life’s literal storms. And what did I reply? Amen to that.

In postscript, I would just like to thank everyone for their prayers, texts and kindness during our snowy adventure, and Rosemary for her exemplary child-minding skills. Thank you. It must also be noted that our esteemed minister managed to get to work every day throughout the cold snap,... and without using his car. Well done Stuart!!!