My New Best Friend

My New Best Friend is not really new. But he has become my bestest friend only recently.


Before I reveal my NBF to you, I want you to know that I used to have a problem. You'll notice I said, 'used to' because I have none now. I am now problem-free. Isn't the Builder the luckiest guy alive. 


Uuuhhh....moving on... My old problem stemmed from my love of ironing, and my love of seeing newly ironed clothes hanging on an airer, and then folded in a pile, all ready to get placed back in drawers. (Note to family here: clothes that have been washed, dried, ironed and then placed in your bedrooms are supposed to find their way into wardrobes or drawers. Yes, I know that's a novel idea to you guys, but it is the way of the world.)


Anyway, back to NBF. Normally, because we tend to have a gently breeze blowing most days of the year - oh well, okay, so we have anything from a gentle breeze to a hurricane on any one day ... well, the long and the short of it is that we can normally manage to get our clothes dry outside. In fact, we had a friend in Glasgow who realised that, despite our seemingly constant supply of rain, we were able to dry our clothes outside because if we got a 5 minute spell with no rain, the wind was so strong it dried the clothes in that time! 


It's all untrue of course. Our weather is not that bad. 


But, for some reason, recently there are simply not enough minutes in the day. And now, when I dry my clothes in ...

this,

(yep - my NBF is my tumble drier)

I now don't iron them. Well, unless it's shirts or other clothes that really need ironing.

Yesterday, 

all this

came from NBF and were NOT ironed.

Phew! I feel like I've confessed something. b-r-e-a-t-h-e, Anne, b-r-e-a-t-h-e.

Say it again. All these clothes went straight from NBF, either to the airer or to the bedrooms.

And now, instead of ironing for hours on end, I have all this extra time to do other highly useful things.

Like blogging.

What are you all thinking? Is it:

a) What a nutcase ....what was she ironing all that stuff for in the first place?

b) Oh, what an awful housewife. I'd never wear non-ironed clothes.

or

c) Iron? What's an iron?? Gonna move on, cos I've no idea what this post was all about.

If you were thinking:

a) - I understand.

b) - Mum...what are you doing reading my blog?

c) - I love you. Really, really love you.

Psalm 37

God blessed the words of Psalm 37 to my heart in a huge way about five years ago. The circumstances were particular to that season of my life, but these words spoke to me one Saturday morning when Rev David Murray was preaching in our neck of the woods. The words of the psalm was a promise to me that was so clearly from God that, by His grace, I never doubted that He would bring His promise to pass. Of course He did. 


These are the verses:

3. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him: and He shall bring it to pass.

I don't think I've ever had the Word of God speak to me in the way it spoke to me at this time. God knew my need and He was gracious in His dealing with me. Yesterday morning, the Builder read this psalm out to me - without prompting.


I felt truly blessed by it, and although I didn't have the circumstances of five years ago (praise God), the words were again balm to my soul.


My circumstances will not be your circumstances, but I hope these verses of Psalm 37 may be a blessing to some of you today.

Sermon Recommendation and Some Memories

This morning, at worship, we read Genesis 25. The chapter ends with the account of Esau coming in from the fields and give to his brother, Jacob - in exchange for a plate of stew - his birthright. In giving this birthright, we are told that "thus Esau despised his birthright". (Gen 25:34)


We began talking of a sermon we heard two years ago in Grand Rapids, on this text. We were coming to the end of our amazing 4-week holiday in the US, and were blessed (I don't use that term lightly here) with hearing this sermon on the Sunday evening. Only eternity may reveal the true and lasting effects this sermon had on our children.


The sermon was preached by Dr Joel Beeke and can be found on Sermon Audio's site. Have a listen.

Of Medals and Boots and Running...or Walking

Y'all ready for this?


Y'all sitting down?


Right, there's to be no laughing. Today, this...

and me...

(no photo. There are limits.)

....and these

...were joined in holy matrimony.

Well, not exactly, but we were connected.

Yep. Me. A medal. My boots.

I went on a one-mile fun run, er...run / walk. I did the latter in case any of you were wondering. 

And I got one of these.

Isn't it exciting!

It wasn't the mildest of days, hence the sign! We had a windchill of -10C, so those who ran were brave as well as fit. 

DR and the Builder's Baby Brother did the 10k run.

And they're off!

Here's Baby Brother with only 3km to go

118 - 188 !!

Baby Brother and DR having finished the run.

The Wee Guy proudly wearing his medal! 

He did the 1-mile Fun Run too. He ran. I didn't see him for dust!

Two proud nieces with Baby Brother after the race.

You never know - next year, I may go a step further. 

The 5km race?

10km??

Uhhh, no. The 1-mile, but I may run part of the way.

6-2-6-2

I've shared this basic recipe before here.


I use it for my Apple Tarts and for my Lemon Meringue Pie. This is not because it's the best pastry recipe I've ever found. It's not even a pastry recipe really. But my 'consumers' love it in dessert pies. And so do I. 


The original recipe was given to my mum over 30 years ago, and when I was growing up (I use that term loosely. I was getting older. I'm not sure I was actually growing. Not since I was about nine anyway).... 


Now, where was I? Oh yes, the recipe. Well, we used to make these little biscuits often. And on Monday morning, seeing as I had nothing else to do, and seeing as all the laundry was taken care of, and the house was immaculately tidy, and all my kids are being educated by someone else....(cough), I took a notion for these biscuits from a bygone age.


I'm not really that old.


I made them on Monday. By Monday night, there was not one left.

I made them again on Tuesday. By Tuesday night, there was not one left.

So, on Wednesday, I made a double portion. As I write this (on Thursday) there are a few left. I am not making them tomorrow for the simple reason that I cannot justify a new wardrobe, and I am going to be really embarrassed by popping zips whilst doing my shopping in Tesco tomorrow if I eat any more.


Here's the recipe.


Ingredients:


6oz butter
2 oz icing sugar
6 oz plain flour
2 oz custard powder
vanilla essence


The method I use is to cream the butter and vanilla, and then add all the sieved dry ingredients and combine. (The 'official' recipe had two additions: icing sugar first, then flour and custard powder, but I don't see the need.)

Here are the balls on the baking trays.

And here they are having been squished with a fork.

Remember to flour the fork after each one, otherwise you end up with a sticky mess.

Allow them to cool on cooling trays....

...and layer them with some jam and buttercream icing

And enjoy! 

But not all at once like we do. Remember, do as I say, not as I do.

Useless information

Just in case y'all woke up this morning wondering what was going on in my life....

We still have the gorgeous wintry weather. I love it so much, but this morning we awoke to frozen pipes and no water. Eeeeek!

Our pipes are now sorted. You see, I knew what I was doing when I married the Builder. When I said, 'I do', I had mornings with frozen pipes and no water in mind. I'm smart like that.

Today, we received our first Christmas card.

Today, I'm planning to write the cards that are being posted abroad. (Note that I said I was 'planning'....ask me tonight whether I've done it or not. I'll let y'all know how it goes.)

The Wee Guy has spent the past few days quoting Tim Hawkins. Regardless of what you say to him, he turns to you, points, and says, 'You need to go sit on the pot'....in a Tim Hawkins accent. It was kind of funny for the first 67 times. 

The girls are trying to decide whether we ought to study Romeo and Juliet or Pride and Prejudice. What d'ya reckon? I'm leaning towards Pride and Prejudice because I'm kinda going with ...cup of coffee ... curled up on the sofa... Colin Firth saying, 'Are your parents well?'... I'm kinda shallow, you know.

I've never read Romeo and Juliet and I'm not sure whether I have the mental capacity for it at this stage:

(a) of the year

(b) of my life.

If you are a font of useless knowledge, you will appreciate my list. If, however, you have a life, you probably will not. I hope in such circumstances you will simply excuse me.

Why Study Church History?

This is a guest post by Rick from RickandSusanna.

Christian History is a fascinating, deeply important topic. A friend recently asked me why I love it and so, without further ado, here are 6 reasons:

Church history answers tough, foundational questions

As a young Christian I had tough nagging questions for which I could never find satisfactory answers… until studying church history.

For example, the canonization of scripture: Why is the Bible made of these particular 66 books? Who chose them? Where did they come from? What criteria did they use? What books didn’t make the cut and why? Why do catholics have a different set of books? When was the canon established and what of the church before that time?

Church History helped answer these questions and bring peace that I can trust my Bible. Likewise with many other foundational questions.

Church history teaches the continuity of our faith and beliefs

Especially as a child raised in the Protestant Church, continuity was a question looming large in my mind. I wanted certainty I had not been duped by some crazy left turn in the 1500s. Through all the trouble and turmoil of the ancient and early Church, a study of her history reveals God’s work on a faithful remnant, the Church universal. A core orthodoxy stretches from the apostles down to us today. Yes, I can tie my faith back to the beginning. Church history helps me understand where I’ve come from and who I am!

History provides a context to better understand doctrine

The Church began as a child and grew into maturity. She faced challenges and questions over time, but overcame them one by one. Rather than swallowing two millenia of theological discourse, through Church history we have the opportunity to build and layer our personal knowledge in manageable bites. Furthermore, doctrinal statements come alive when understanding the historical context. Doctrine is not a collection of irrelevant or superfluous ideas. Rather, doctrinal statements arose in the face of real world issues. Issues that matter to our lives today.

The past provides a warning for the future and builds discernment

One might be surprised to find the popular trends and thoughts of the church today clearly playing out in the past. Ideas cast as fresh and new are often nothing more than a resurgent historical concept – whether known or unknown to those swept up in the idea. We can understand where trends and ideas are likely to lead by understanding our past. We can build discernment to see beyond the surface. No one wakes up and decides to be a heretic. Knowledge of the past builds a reservoir to signal red flags when appropriate, to know the questions to ask, and keep us moving in the straight and narrow by avoiding the mistakes of the past.

Inspiring heroes to personally identify with

Far from a dry collection of facts, history provides thousands of real heroes. Some with backgrounds or personalities like ours which can bring encouragement to see God using such individuals. Others we find so unlike us in accomplishment that we are challenged or inspired. Still others faced situations so incomprehensibly dire compared to our own that we are humbled. Nothing teaches and sticks with us quite like the examples of others.

Christian History builds faith by revealing how God still moves in his Church

History is messy. Our heroes imperfect. Yet God is always at work.

The light of the gospel – “its flame often sank low, and appeared about to expire, yet never did it wholly go out. God remembered His covenant with the light, and set bounds to the darkness” (J.A. Wylie).  Christian history tells, “How that seed was deposited in the soil; how the tree grew up and flourished despite the furious tempests that warred around it; how, century after century, it lifted its top higher in heaven, and spread its boughs wider around” (Wylie).

Resourceshttp://www.rickandsusanna.com/