NO NEED TO FEEL LIKE THIS MOST DAYS

Deuteronomy 28:1-12
If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, (simply reading the word, praying and hearing God speak into your life) the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God( Living out what God asks you to do ,loving him, loving others, sharing your money and belongings, being kind, being faithful, putting others before you): You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country ( You will live a life of peace and joy because you have God walking alongside you ). The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock( Your children will walk with God because you have been faithful and sown good seeds in them, yes they may wander from side to side for a time but if their feet are firmly planted in God they will be back)—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. ( Every area of your life will be watched over and cared for by God, every small detail God is there with you, he cares about you more than you will ever comprehend)You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you.( Life is not without trouble, but God is there like a shepherd who tends his sheep Gods eye is always watching and he will never allow more harm come to you than you can bear) They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you. The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. 14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. What an awesome promise, you will find no other who can offer you this, many have tried, many false teachers are out there right now proclaiming themselves as God, but he is the ALPHA AND OMEGA THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER. All he asks from you is to love him with all your heart.

IT IS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY........

This Christmas season is clearly not too different from past ones, as people get caught up in the hustle and bustle off life we see more and more people living on the edge. Just head out to the shops for 1 hour today and watch people you will see as I have that road rage is at its highest ever. families are being slowly torn apart right before your eyes in the mall, parents at the end of their tether almost ripping the arm off their toddler as they drag them screaming from the shops, people screaming obscenities from their car window. The strange part is that these very people are out and about to buy gifts for their families and friends, If you stop to ask them what are their thoughts on Christmas, most of them will tell you that they HATE Christmas, they find the whole thing a pointless chore, and they cant wait for it to be over.
My heart breaks for people in this situation , if they could only see the real reason for Christmas Their day would be altogether different.
Christmas from the christian perspective is that , without Jesus there would be no Christmas, we are celebrating the birth of THE SAVIOUR TO THE WORLD. Jesus came to save us to give life and life abundantly . If we live by his ways and teachings then we do not need to be living on a knife edge in a constant frazzled state, in fact I find it hard to wipe the smile off my face at this time of year. It is a time to be so grateful for the free gift of Grace and mercy that was given to me the day that I was saved.
God even gives us instructions as to how we should be behaving at Christmas, well all year round relay, but especially when we are celebrating HIS birth. John 15:9 9 Jesus said to his disciples: ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
1 .Count your blessings rather than count your trials.
2. Be even tempered and not quick to get angry. Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
3. give your neighbour a small gift and a card to wish them a fantastic year ahead, John 15:17 This is my command: Love each other.
4. Have someone extra at your table for Christmas lunch that has nowhere to go. Luke 14:13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
5. Smile when you go shopping, be nice!!!! talk to the shop assistants. Habakkuk 3 : 17-18 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

6. Share much laughter and love with your family. Colossians 3:12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
7. Take your kids out walking to look at Christmas lights
8. Listen to Christmas carols that are worship songs , and worship your king . Genesis 24:26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD,
9. Listen to God when he prompts you to talk to someone, or pray for someone 1 Kings 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
10. Christmas should be about peace and joy , pray for Gods peace and joy to be upon you .
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

I encourage you this year , don't be like the grumpy people who just make everyone else around them grumpy. Be filled with : The spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Galatians 5:22
This is what God is calling us to do. Chose Life, this is the time of the year that we have a great opportunity to witness to non believers, don't waste a moment. God asks us to be different to the world, he needs us to be there to show people there is a better way of getting through life here on earth. The last thing God wants is for non believers to watch our behaviour as Christians and say to themselves that we are no different to anyone else. Mathew 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

TWILIGHT , NEW MOON, OR NEW DECEPTION ???

Stephenie Meyer has stated that the apple on the cover represents the forbidden fruit from the Book of Genesis. It symbolizes Bella and Edward's love, which is forbidden, similar to the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as is implied by the quote from Genesis 2:17 that is quoted at the beginning of the book. It also represents Bella's knowledge of what good and evil are, and the choice that she has in partaking of the "forbidden fruit", Edward, or choosing not to see him.

There we have it THE CHOICE!!!! As with the Author of The Twilight book we have a choice , her characters in her book had a choice and so do we. Do we follow the path of deception through man , who at times is guided by Satan, or do we ask ourselves the question, that my 16 year old son put so well at the dinner table tonight.
If God was sitting beside me holding my hand , would I watch this movie with him tonight?
As in Genesis the forbidden fruit was so tempting, it was going to open the door to so many things , desires, power, . The question here however is what are you going to allow to be unleashed in your own life by feeding your soul with these supernatural images ? hat fruit will be born from this seed.
You may well say as my 15 year old daughter said "mum it's just a movie, just entertainment" but what are you feeding your spirit. what questions will this movie raise in your mind, what seeds will it sow into your heart?
Satan works through some Authors to promote himself and his darkness to the world, so why on earth would you want to be a part of this. you may as well spit directly into the face of Jesus.
Stephanie Meyer says herself in her own words that she playing on the forbidden fruit in Genesis, and the tree of life, choosing good and evil.
By getting caught up in the hype of this film you are in fact becoming partners with the very people who reject God.
Too late to say when God walks in the room " Oh God , I am with these people but I am not really WITH them, I am relay with you God" You are polluting your soul when you feed it with such trash.
Is your mind in the place spoken in Philippians while watching this film or reading this book.

Philippians 4 :8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

2 Corinthians 6 : 14-18 Don't become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That's not partnership; that's war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands? Who would think of setting up pagan idols in God's holy Temple? But that is exactly what we are, each of us a temple in whom God lives. God himself put it this way:

"I'll live in them, move into them;
I'll be their God and they'll be my people.
So leave the corruption and compromise;
leave it for good," says God.
"Don't link up with those who will pollute you.
I want you all for myself.
I'll be a Father to you;
you'll be sons and daughters to me."
The Word of the Master, God.

I encourage you to ask this simple question before you read anything from this author, or watch any films promoting her works.

Where is God in what I am participating in today?

I can tell you what is forbidden fruit in our home, any books and movies from this Author. dont be afraid to forbid your children from things that you feel are against gods will for their life. If your children are not going to make right decisions for themselves then excercise your parental role and make the unpopular decision for them.

THAI TUNA SALAD

Perfect for that hot night when you are just too pooped to cook.

2 cups cooked pasta
add
2 grated carrots
1/2 bunch coriander
1 small cucumber diced
2 sticks cellery sliced
1 red capcicum sliced
1 400g can tuna in brine
3/4 cup good whole egg mayonaise
1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce
juice and rind 1 lime or lemon
salt and pepper
toss and serve.
you can add, snow peas, chineese cabbage, boc choy
or you can take out the tuna and add atlantic salmon that you have bbq'd and let cool
Easy easy and yummy yummy

GODS WORD IS THE ONLY TRUTH

The word of God says
"Unrighteous," immoral, idolaters, adulterers, sexual perverts, thieves, greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers "will not inherit the kingdom of God." -1 Corinthians 6:9-10
God is a god of grace and mercy but he is also a God of justice and he states very clearly in his word that there will be eternal consequences for those who do not repent of our sins. God says repent and live. Do not repent and face his judgement
Ezekiel 18:32
For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!

repent Webster dictionary means
1. To feel remorse, contrition, or self-reproach for what one has done or failed to do; be contrite.
2. To feel such regret for past conduct as to change one's mind regarding it: repented of intemperate behavior.
3. To make a change for the better as a result of remorse or contrition for one's sins.
Repenting by its very nature means you must change direction. If you fail to change direction then you have not repented.
Job 34:32-33
Teach me what I cannot see;
if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.'
Should God then reward you on your terms,
when you refuse to repent?
You must decide, not I;
so tell me what you know.
Jeremiah 5:3
O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.

Be very careful who you listen to in this world, there are many wolves in sheep's clothing out there and that Includes pastors and leaders. Don’t make the mistake of being led by a Pastor who is not allowing themselves to be accountable to leadership above them in your church. We are very blessed to be in a church with very trustworthy pastors who spend a lot if time in prayer and consultation with both elders, board and the AOG covering itself. Be on your guard always Satan seeks only to destroy and if he can work though churches to deceive people and twist the truth then he will. Some church leaders leave themselves wide open to this deception by their lustful hunger for power which is fueled by their own ego and pride.
There are many great Churches out there and many God appointed leaders who are working diligently on serving God and leading the people whom he has entrusted them with, but I believe that we as individuals just need to stay alert.

1 John 3:7-10
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

Sin is of the world and the people in the world dangle many temptations in front of us, it can be so so easy being caught up in the delights on offer, however at every turn you need to stop and say to yourself, “what will the fruit of taking this path”be? Will God be well pleased with the outcome”
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.”- 1 John 2:15-16
My message here is simple, If what you are hearing or doing does not line up with Gods word, ALL of Gods word , not just the pages that work for you , then you need to look further into it. Authors, preachers, councilors, friends, can all be deceived by Satan. but Gods word is pure and has no deception in it. Rely on that and that alone.
Job 34: 2-4 "Hear my words, you wise men; listen to me, you men of learning. For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food .Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.

salmon patties

a very fast family favourite...

boil 4 large potatoes
roughly mash, add 1 diced onion, 1/2 bunch corriander
1 can red or pink salmon with skin and bones removed
add 1/4 cup chopped capers, 1/4 cup lemon juice
2 eggs, salt pepper.
Roll in fresh bread crumbs and fry in shallow olive oil.
serve with green salad, yoghurt and lemon wedges

chicken rossini

Great for a hot night when you are over salads, only takes 15 minutes
feeds 6 adults
Put water on to boil add rossini when boiling
fry 1 diced onion and 2 garlic:
add 2 diced chicken fillets
add 1tsp salt, 1 tsp bush spice
add 300 ml cream
add 3 diced tomatoes
just before serving add 2 bunches asparagus.
Mix with pasta and serve.....
dinner is done

STAY ON YOUR NEST

I am often amazed as to our desire to nurture, the desire that God has placed in our hearts to nurture others , for some of us is very strong, To some degree it is a gifting that we can use to help others and direct them to God the true and perfect nurturer.
Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
I have always had a very strong desire to nurture... I have always had a strong desire to rescue things, both human and not so human.. I remember many times as a child I would bring home some poor animal that would need my help. One occasion when I was very young I rescued a bird from our pool, my mum put it in a bird cage for me to dry out overnight. It was a bit weak and was not able to sit on its perch, so she sat on the floor of the cage in a bed of straw that I put there for her. During the night I was worried that she may be cold, so I got out of bed and put her cage on top of the stove and turned on the element. To my surprise and horror we awoke the following morning to a very hot dead bird.... We were so lucky that I did not burn the whole hose down. I have many stories when my nurturing went wrong when I was a child, just as well I got better at it as I grew older.
Even in the animal kingdom, some have an incredible instinct to nurture. We have a very broody chicken at the moment, she just sits all day on anybodies eggs in the hope that one day something will eventuate. Fortunately for her a neighbour today gave us 3 fertile eggs for her to sit on, she very warmly welcomed her new charges under her warm body where she will sit and dedicate her days to these eggs for 21 days in the hope that something will be birthed. She will keep a steady eye for foxes who come to steal her babies, Crows will fly in and take her eggs clean out from under her if she looses her focus. Job 11:18 And you will be secure, because there is hope; you will be protected and will take your rest in safety.
God promises us with our children that if we nurture their tender heats and sow his truth into them that he will never leave them or forsake them. Oh but if we as parents had the faith of a mother hen, to sit there diligently for no matter how long it takes to nurture what God has given us to sit on.
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

How easily do we give up and loose our patience or wish that some other mother hen will sit on our kids for a while and take over the nurturing. We can only rely on God to be our everlasting strength for the most important nurturing job of our lives . Psalm 100:2 Worship the Lord with joy! Enter his presence with joyful singing!
Sow seeds of character, sow seeds of integrity, sow seeds of honor, sow seeds of love, sow seeds of persistence Proverbs 29;17 Correct your son, and he will give you comfort, He will also delight your soul.
Proverbs 19;18 Discipline your son while there is hope, And do not desire his death.
I encourage you mums to stay on your nest, stay alert and vigilant to the enemy who lies in wait for his opportunity to pounce. Nurture your babies , even when they are big and seem all grown up, then they will come home to the mother who has walked by their side with them and nurtured them and then, only then will you have earnt the right to direct them to God who has walked every step of that journey alongside you and your baby chickens.

PECKING ORDER

We currently have a chook in our chook house who is not feeling too well, well actually I am not sure she will last the night. Its a funny world in chook land, every Girl for herself out there, show no mercy. If you are feeling down and out then you are probably curtains. If another girl in the pen smells any sign of weakness they will relentlessly peck you to death . Show no mercy is the chicken motto. Thankfully for our girl we will take her aside and give her a safe refuge until she is better or passes on.
I cant help but see the resemblance in this to our real world and how similar this behaviour is to our day to day living. Over the years as I have watched my kids journey through their lives there have been many occasions when they have felt on the outer, more so for my girls than my boys. There is certainly Merritt in the term "pecking order". It is no fun if you are the bottom of the chain. The worst thing about this is that if you are at the bottom then you are a prime target for the attack. Chickens will gather together and fuss about working out who is at the bottom and then they will go in for the attack.
It is so hard to rise above this and move yourself up the chain. For chickens it is all about territory, they decide in their space who is at the top and who is at the bottom based on your strengths and weaknesses. If your weakness are greater that your strengths , then guess what?? you go to the bottom. Try standing up for yourself when you feel like you are at the bottom!! It is painfully hard, I know because I have been there many a time in my youth.
We humans would like to see ourselves as so much more advanced that that but the reality is , we are not, we are very good at putting the people around us in boxes and an order as to who we give more time or respect to.
I personally had a very unpleasant time growing up, I was always at the bottom of the chain, I spent most of my youth jumping through hoops trying to fit in and be liked. I remember when I was only 8 or 9 years old . I was desperate to be part of a club of girls at school . In order to be part of this club you had to prove yourself worthy. I told the girls at school that I had fairies living in my garden, then stupidly agreed to the girls coming home after school with me to show them my fairies. Well how stupid did I look when a full search of the garden turned up no fairies. I just moved myself further down the chain that I was so desperate to climb up. I was the focus of many a joke at school for what seemed like an eternity. I felt this pain for many years well into my adult life . It had a huge effect on me when my kids were feeling bullied at school It opened up many old wounds and pain, which eventually I had to hand over to God to heal close the door on.
I tried for many years to do things that would make me feel part of the group in social circles. The reality was however that for all that time there was nothing I could do to achieve this acceptance. The answer lay in my own acceptance and confidence in myself, and the only true acceptance that I would find ultimately came from God, when I finally found myself in God I became attractive to my peers and not a scared little chicken who was always making a fool of myself trying to fit in.
There is no one who will love us like God does. If we can find our security in our salvation the battle is almost won. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Don't allow the people around you to govern your spot in life. you only need to submit to God and then you are at the top of the only pecking order that counts. Romans 13:11 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” God will then direct your way and who you should submit to. Don't allow your happiness and peace to be dictated to from people who don't love and care for you .
As with chickens , If you get the chickens in a group they will pick on the weaker one ; people are the same , Find the confidence that God has placed in you not to be the weaker one. Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
From my experience when people are backed into a corner they come out fighting, same too with my chickens, the ones who fight for their spot in the hen house come out ok, the ones who cower in the corner and get pecked half to death Will always find it hard to establish new ground.
Interesting enough though It is not impossible to establish new ground. All is not lost if you feel beaten by the people around you . With our chickens for example , we made a new space for the hens to live in and moved the picked on chook into that new space first , the rest of the chickens think that they have moved into her new house and she had an instant spot at the top of the chain. the playing field has been altered.
For we people we just need to work on altering the playing field by allowing God to help us to feel more confidant in our own skin , and letting God show us our gifts and talents that he wants us to use in order to better our own lives and be of use to him to further his kingdom. God cant use us if we are cowering in the corner like the frightened chicken too scared to come out because we might get pecked.
If you find yourself questioning God’s true character, and your own, reassure your faith of His might and love by reading His Word. As I feel my confidence in myself and God fading, I recall accounts in the Bible when He has shown Himself strong. Often, the story of Hannah comes to mind (I Samuel 1). For years, she wanted a child of her own. She could have projected her lack of an heir on God, and seen Him as the One who ignores a poor woman’s prayers. Instead, she continued pressing into the Lord; she shared her pain with Him and asked again and again.
Ask God again and again to help you build your own character so you don't feel you are failing victim to life's pecking order.

TRANSITION THERE IS NO OTHER WAY

This is my most favourite photo of Meg just absolute delight in a bed of flowers after walking over 5 km and feeling just exhausted she dropped in this sea of flowers and laughed and laughed , the whining during the long walk was over we were done we had finished.......
In order to get from one place to another there has to be a transition in some shape or form.
Being a mum of six children I know all about transition in the Labour ward at least. There have been many other areas of my life that I have had periods of transition , moving house, replacing cars, kids changing schools, moving overseas, changing jobs , learning new things just to name a few .
The most graphic example of Transition in my life most certainly is in the labour ward giving birth. My goodness that transition part has certainly got to be the most awful part of labour, as if the pain is not bad enough with early contractions; just wait until transition.
In labour transition is the time when the contractions shift their pace up a level in their intensity and frequency in order to force your body to do what is necessary to deliver the baby. You just cant have the baby without the period of transition. That point in all my births is when I become rather irrational in my thinking and if I had the opportunity I would probably kill the closest thing (Mike) to me . The pain at that point is almost unbearable and the only way for me to get through is to dwell on the things of God, it may sound odd but I literally recite over and over in my head , I will be anxious for nothing I will trust in you.... I lay there on my side curled up in a ball with my gas mask firmly squashed on my face with my hand and with every contraction, I say in my head , I Will be anxious for nothing, I will be anxious for nothing, over and over until it is time to push and deliver our precious new child into this world.
So often in our day to day life we face times that we need to push through the transition, put the blinkers on and hold on to Gods hand for dear life and march firmly and boldly forward to deliver what God wants to birth in us.
no one who keeps looking back and dwelling on their past is fit for the kingdom of God. Paul says that we have to forget those things which are now behind us and move and press forward into those things which now lie ahead of us..
God will give us the peace we need in order to push through the transition.
Psalms 107:29 He makes the storm into a calm, so that the waves are at peace. Daniel 10:18 Then again one having the form of a man put his hand on me and gave me strength. And he said to me, O man greatly loved, have no fear: peace be with you, be strong and let your heart be lifted up. And at his words I became strong, and said, Let my lord say on, for you have given me strength. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.

It is both peace and strength that we need in order to walk through transition in our lives, and there is no better place to find such peace than through God, no other thing or person on this planet will be able to give you the peace that only he can, so when you next face transition, I urge you to face it head on , you cannot get to the other side without going through, you cannot go around it, over it, ask someone else to do it for you no I am afraid you must do it all yourself.
so as John 5 : 8 says "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."
You will be so blessed by the end result if you pick up your mat and walk through the transition .
Don't stay in the place of perceived comfort walk..... It will be better on the other side God promises us.

sow into your kids

Sow into your kids , even in the small things , even when you have far too many jobs to get done, you know the jobs will wait, your kids need the attention. I had the best afternoon with my 6 year old Meg at her school sport day , she had a smil from ear to ear when I said that I did not have to go to work and I could come and see her.
The smile on her face makes it all worth it , she will remember that way before any new dress or smiggle pen set.
Sow seeds and water them !!! even the smallest sprinkle of water will help your babies to flourish...

why do we sometimes struggle and feel we dont have enough

Tonight for dinner we had home made burgers on the bbq , with toasted buns, onions salad and all the trimmings , a family favourite around here, well I tell you it was like the last supper, they all came running to assemble their mountainous burgers, and oh what allot of carry on shoving and pushing to be first as if there was not going to be enough, when in fact there was plenty. I had prepared an abundance of food for them all. After they all worked out that in fact there was no shortage we all sat down and had a lovely meal together. God bless them....

why do we sometimes struggle and feel we don't have enough, when 2 Peter 1:2-8 tells us 2Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.So where is the problem when we know

³His divine power has given us everything , not just a few things , but everything !!we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.⁴Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

⁵For this very reason, make every effort, EVERY effort, not just a little bit when you have some left over time in your day, not just on Sunday morning, but EVERY effort. to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. ⁸For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ..

If we take the time to work on these areas of our lives then we are promised that we will be effective and productive We often don't have enough because we don't put in enough. You do not need to wait for the Universe to be in harmony and all the planets aligned, as some new age's believe. you just need to place your faith firmly in God and do what he asks us to do.

We get so caught up with our plan , rather than his plan and right there lies the problem, we try to do it to ourselves....

The long and the short of it is that we do have enough, more than enough, an abundance in fact. sometimes we are just looking in the wrong place for it.

BEETROOT CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

BEETROOT CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

There's no tastier way to get your five a day than enrobing your veg in chocolate

Ingredients

• 250g/10oz good, dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
• 250g/10oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus more for greasing
• 250g/10oz caster sugar
• 3 free-range eggs
• 150g self-raising flour (we used wholemeal self-raising)
• 250g beetroot, boiled until tender, peeled and grated

Method: How to make chocolate and beetroot brownies

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease a baking tin of approximately 20 x 30 x 3cm and line the bottom with baking parchment.

2. Break up the chocolate into pieces, cut the butter into cubes then mix them up a bit in a heatproof bowl. As the oven begins to warm up, put the bowl onto one of the shelves for a few minutes until the chocolate and butter starts to melt. Stir, and put back into the oven for a few more minutes to melt completely.

3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl until combined, then beat in the melted chocolate and butter until smooth. Gently fold in the flour then the beetroot – be careful not to overmix or it will make the brownies tough.

Be careful not to overmix or it will make the brownies tough.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth over the top with a spatula. Bake for about 20 minutes. A knife or skewer pushed into the middle should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Don't be tempted to overcook them! Remove the tin from the oven and leave on wire rack to cool before cutting into squares.

yummy side dish

Just invented this dish, it was great with the BBQ tonight
we had potato salad, green salad, lamb loin chops, steak and
this....
dice 1 onion, 2 garlic, sauteed in olive oil.
add 1 tsp paprika, salt pepper
add 1 can chic peas
add 3 diced small tomatoes
simmer 10 min; serve

WHO SAYS YOU CANT!!!

I love to watch my children when they are little , they have an endless belief in their abilities , they think they can do anything, they will try anything , we adults are often standing by watching at the ready to sound the alarm to stop them in their next wild endeavour.
My Liam was by far the most adventurous of my children, we were always coming to the rescue in a situation that often he was completely unaware that there was a problem.
I remember when he was 6 years old, we were on a family holiday at the Blue mountains in New South Wales, Liam had run ahead on the walking track with his older brother who was 11, he was only 1 minute ahead of us, as we turned a corner on the path both of our hearts skipped a beat.... there was Liam , he had crawled under the barrier and onto the top of a massive Boulder and way sitting on top proudly waving his hands "look at me, look at me!!!! " . The problem was that there was a drop of thousands of meters below him. We got him back in, severely scolded him, Mike and I had a packet of Valium each and we all went on our way...
Adults with a healthy fear for their own safety would never do such a ting, because we have learnt over time boundaries of safety, we have learnt to protect ourselves rather than relying on an adult to do that for us.
Somewhere a long the line however we begin to put our own brakes on ourselves , and the pity is that all too often we are just too careful to step out, or we lose that child like faith, that belief system in our own abilities, too often we fail to jump in where God is asking us to go because we are not willing to give him the control. We fail to trust that if our father in Heaven is asking something of us, there is no way that he would put us in a situation that would cause us harm. We become so good at our own self preservation that we lose faith in ourselves.
Why do we so often think in the solitude of our minds" I would love to do that , but oh thats silly, that is only for other people"
what stops us from achieving our dreams? At what point do we stop believing in ourselves?
I believe that the problem is that we get confused with the difference between not doing something because it is unsafe or unwise and not going ahead with something because we have formed an opinion of our capabilities that is incorrect, based on people and situations in our lives that have caused us to doubt ourselves .We would go alot further for God in our lives if we feared him more than we fear personal failure. Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
God wants so much more for us than we want for ourselves. We look at the Pastor and think , "I cant do that" ,we are asked to present communion and say no because we think people will judge us and think we are stupid, we look at the mission field and think "That is not for me" , we look at street evangelist and think" oh I might get hurt" , we look at the kids ministry and think " Kids don't like me". So many things that God needs us to do for him and so many excuses as to why we cant. Luke 1:37 For nothing is impossible with God."
Mark 10:15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
If God has sown a seed in your mind to do something don't just laugh at the mere suggestion of it, pray about it, explore the avenues, ask God about it, ask your peers about it, and then perhaps; step out with child like faith in yourself and do it. 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Gods word remains the same

For centuries the human race has battled with living in relationship with each other. So many things have changed over time, newer, bigger, better, faster, and technology, well lets not go there... But living in relationship and community is still the same, we still have to work on our inner self in order to master the skills and grace needed to live and love well.
Thankfully God knows this all to well and has provided us with many tools to help us here.
John 13;34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Romans 14:10-13, Paul also advised: why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother?... Therefore, let's stop passing judgement on each other! Instead, make this one judgement--not to put a stumbling-block or a snare in a brother's way."
Mathew 7; 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Daily Spurgeon said in one of his sermons back in 1859, over 150 years ago:
Oh, my brethren and sisters in Christ, it is not your business to fight your own battles, not even in defense of your own character. If you be maligned and slandered, let the slanderer alone. His malignity will but be increased by any attempt that you shall make to defend yourself. As a soldier of Christ you are to fight for your Master, not for yourself. You are not to carry on a private warfare for your own honor, but all your time and all your power is to be given to his defense and his war. You are not to have a word to speak for yourselves.

Full often, when we get into little tempers, and our blood is roused, we are apt to think that we are fighting the cause of truth, when we are really maintaining our own pride. We imagine that we are defending our Master, but we are defending our own little selves. Too often the anger rises against an adversary not because his words reflect dishonor upon the glorious Christ, but because they dishonor us. Oh! let us not be so little as to fight our own battles! Depend upon it, the noblest means of conquest for a Christian in the matter of calumny and falsehood, is to stand still and see the salvation of God. Sheathe thine own sword, put away all thine own weapons, when thou comest to fight thine own battle, and let God fight for thee, and thou shalt be more than conqueror.

Gods word remains the same through the ages, time alters many things but it has failed to alter how we as humans relate. The promise from God is however, that if we remain in him we will learn ways to be better humans who treat each other well and love as God has called us to love. We need to take up the challenge and daily spend time with God so he can teach us in his ways and not the worlds ways . Isiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD."As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Lets be the generation that transforms a nation..... We can do it I know we can we just have to be willing to change and move well out of our comfort zone, to let go of what we think is rightfully ours, to never again say " thats not fair" , to have the grace to put others before us, to walk away from a conflict rather than forcing your opinion on others, to have the heart of a servant not a princess. And finally love others like there is no tomorrow because he will come when we are not looking and humanities eternal path will be decided. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

A problem shared is a problem halved

Mathew 30 ; 28 ²⁸"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I woke up with this verse on my hear today . The trouble with sharing and halving a problem with a friend is that you can only off load half of it, you still have to carry it around, and your friend has to carry the rest.
When you share problem with God however you can then completely take the burden out of the situation.
Psalm 37;4 “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
God only wants to bless us and have us live lives that are way beyond our wildest dreams, so why would we not want to turn to him for answers??? he has the best solution to every problem, no other person can give you a better answer.
Don't misunderstand me, I am all girl and nothing I love more that to turn to a friend for conversation and input into a situation, we girls are built for talking...sometimes particularly when we are sharing with a christian sister , her input is exactly what God wants you to hear anyway, It is more the confirmation that we are on the right track that we are needing from our friends.
Don't waste time trying to fix problems that come your way, just go to the master problem solver first, you will transform the day from a burdensome chore to a day of freedom and peace...
John 14; 27

I am leaving you at peace. I am giving you my own peace. I am not giving it to you as the world gives. So don't let your hearts be troubled, and don't be afraid.

FEAR WILL STOP YOU DEAD IN YOUR TRACKS

Sir Edmund Hillary's words still ring true to those who will never have any desire to climb:
"It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."

Fear will stop you dead in your tracks every time. weather it is the adrenaline rush fear resulting from a physical scare or fear of venturing into the unknown, or fear from past failures.
My mum would always say "necessity is a wonderful motivator" I think the opposite is true. "fear is an incredible stopper" . Fear can stop you from taking so many right paths and cause you to take that all together wrong path.
we have all heard the saying " feel the fear and do it anyway" , so often this is what we should be doing, particularly in areas of our life that require change.
Fear will stop you moving forward and taking hold of what you need to in order to bring about change. Haggai 2:5 'This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.

I know about fear first hand. Earlier this year I developed a very debilitating anxiety issue It was effecting every area of my life . I first felt like I was having chest pains then a feeling of someone choking me, it would come in waves, almost like a hot flush, it got so bad that I was having these attacks for the most part of each day. By the time the day was over I was physically exhausted , my body was under attac all day.
I went to a doctor and he was all up from the word go to give me anti depressants, I was adamant that I would not go down that path.
I then went to a natroupath , she thankfully gave me a very logical explanation, which was that my Adrenal gland had been switched on at some point of trauma in my life and it was stuck on. Because I live such a busy go go lifestyle I had never taken the time to stop and properly process times of extreme stress or distress in my life. I was very much a "get on with the Job" type person, and at least let everyone think that you are coping.
Fear of stopping and going back to re visit my past and allowing God to walk through it with me and bring healing had begun to cause me a big problem in getting through my day to day life.
Fear was literally choking me. Fear was living on my shoulder whispering in my ear all day that I was a failure and that was all I was ever going to be, so I should just throw the towel in now and be done. Proverbs 29 : 24 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

I was listening to a lie nothing but a lie, God was now forcing me to smash through these lies . I had two choices. Choice one was to stay right where I was and be miserable and make everyone who had to be around me miserable also.
Choice two was to take up the challenge and grow, change, evolve. My very wise Pastor pointed out to me that refusing to move forward was going to destroy every area of my life.
The Israelite went round and round for 40 years refusing to listen to God, and the promised land was right there before their very eyes, they were just blinded by fear. Ecclesiastes 7 :18 It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes .

I took the path of moving forward, not just for myself but for my children, for my relationship with God, for my relationship with My husband, and for my relationship with people.
God could not use me at all while I was a broken leaking vessel, he would try his best to fill me up with his spirit but as fast as he topped me up it would all leak out . I would go to Church and hear a great message and sing uplifting worship songs I would come away feeling great but it was only short lived because my underlying fear of re living the past would always hinder what God wanted for me. So through much prayer, time alone with God, reading, and Gods gracious gentle spirit guiding me I came through the other side.

I encourage you to let go of the past and hang onto God It is the only way....

BARRAMUNDI WITH LEMON GREEN PEPPERCORN SAUCE

we had this for dinner last night, yum yum....
you can substitute the fish for chicken or prawns if you like...

finely slice 1 red capsicum, fry in olive oil, add rind of one lemon and 1 tspn green peppercorns
add juice of 3 lemons salt and pepper. reduce liquid by half : add 300 ml cream, reduce by half again. Set aside.

Mix 1/2 cup rice flour, salt, pepper, lemon rind, 1/2 tsp turmeric. : flour fish with this
heat olive oil in pan. Brown fish on both sides :
Serve fish on plate : Put sauce back in pan, add 1 tab freshly chopped herbs of your choice and 1 red chili, seeds removed. Pour sauce over fish.

Serve with oven roasted hand made potato wedges and fresh steamed asparagus.

woody woodpecker

"In Him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

God is the source of all our strength and knowledge. Without Him we can do nothing. With Him on our side, we can do everything. Why worry about life when God is there helping you.

May 2002 Colorado USA, I woke to the sound of a wood pecker just outside our cabin window, It was beautiful, crimson head, black back and white chest gracefully hanging on to the side of the tree pecking away. As I lay there in my bed captivated by this magical sight, God spoke to me in an almost audible voice and said "everything I make is beautiful". I agreed with him in my mind and got out of bed and continued on with my day.

I had been feeling unwell since arriving in America and had put it down to jet lag, when that should have worn off I decided it must be altitude sickness as we were up so high in the mountains, however too much time had passed for that to be a plausible scenario any longer.

Because I already had 5 children that required little effort to conceive I decided to take a home pregnancy test, to my absolute surprise It came up with a positive result. i was dumbfounded how could this be , here we were in a new country that we were to live in. I had packed up my home in Australia to live in Nashville for 2 years, what on earth was God thinking!!! Clearly he was out of his mind.

By now I am running around our little cabin shocked, panicked, bewildered, thinking what am I to do and God came to me again and said to me " everything I make is beautiful" .
As most women would do in a frenzied state , I quickly shoved that thought out of my head and began screaming for Mike. He was in the woods playing with the kids, he came running to the sound of my screams to the sight of me standing on the porch waving a pregnancy test like it was a hand grenade through the air.
"what what" Mike said to me looking very startled "look look " I replied while still screaming and waving the small white offending article. " who's is that" was my sharp husbands response.... "who do you think, mine, who else, do you think I got it from a bear in the woods".
At that point I calmed a little and we both sat there on the porch silent for a long moment. Do not be anxious about anything Philippians 4:6
My brain was racing, what will we do, we have no home, no money, no job, a road trip tour with Rebeca St James to do, three other band members and their families with us for the ride, aaahhhh. And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Mathew 6:28

Then again God said "everything I make is beautiful" This time I heard and paid attention, I rememberd the woodpecker that I saw earlier that morning and I could hear God speaking to me gently in a still small voice that I could not hear over my out of control ranting.
So there we were , pregnant again, in one short morning going from devastation to joy and bliss only because I listened to that small voice of God telling me that my little baby was yet another brick in the wall of Gods plan for the Lane family, piece by piece he was creating our family.

Two months later God gave me a little test, I believe, to bring be back in line with his thinking. I was starting to get a little ahead of myself and getting very cranky about the future , well to be honest I was being a down right grump to everyone who would stay around long enough to listen to me. We were playing Sunday baseball with the Smallbone family, I even hit a couple of home runs. When we returned home I began to bleed, never with all of my pregnancies had I had such a thing, Mike took me straight to hospital, I was a mess, crying repenting telling God how sorry I was for thinking that maybe I only wanted 5 kids. I remember crying saying " please please God don't take my baby" God then said again " Everything I make is Beautiful". I knew then that we were home and hosed.. It was all going to be fine . Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
Sometimes God throws us curve balls, sometimes it is just life throwing the ball, however no matter who is doing the ball throwing God is always there to walk you through it . You just need to sometimes change direction. Change is always a good thing if you have God with you for the change, he only wants you to grow.
God is the master potter if we only let him . He will mould our lives into far more than we ever dreamed was possible, then only that he can use us effectively is to shape us .
Isaiah 64: 8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Romans 9: 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

Today my precious Meg is 6 years old, I would not give her up for all the Tea in China. She completes our family, her smile, the way she loves people, the way she loves God, her sheer joyfulness, her incredible beauty, and those eyes oh those eyes.
Meg is my little woodpecker..

30 minute dinner

Chicken patties.
Place 1 onion, 1 garlic , 1 carrot, 1 zucchini, 2 eggs, salt and pepper, fresh herbs , 1 tab rice flour
in a food processor . Chop, add 700g chicken mince fillets.
Remove mix from processor, add 7 slices white bread, make crumbs.
Roll chicken mix in crumbs, fry in shallow olive oil, place in oven for 20 min.
Serve with salad. yum yum!! Kids loved it

GOD GIVES, LIES DESTROY

In the book of Romans, Chapter one
It graphically describes how horrible the world had become, Paul speaks of people
walking away from God and worshiping the things that their environment had to offer
²⁵They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
Sadly we have learnt very little over the passage of time, we still reject God , some of us do it in small ways some of us in bigger ways, however they are all the same to God, Exchanging truth for a lie is all the same no matter how big or small the lie seems to be.
Lies and wickedness, suppres the truth, We cannot be a foul tempered mother toward our children and at the same time expect them to somehow see the love of Jesus through us. We cannot as mothers tell our children to be joyful and full of the peace of God if we are not that way ourselves. You see our wicked behaviour is suppressing the truth of God that is within us , the truth that God wants us to show the world.
We have no excuse to live a life that is contrary to what God expects of us, we have known the truth since the dawn of time, particularly in our western world, most of us have at least heard of God, however some of us have chosen to reject his truth.
For we christian mothers we have a huge task in raising our children to be not just followers, but lovers of Christ, we do not want our children to be as described here by Paul.
²⁹They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³²Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
There is not a mother around who would want this type of child, but if we fail to nurture and sow truth into the tender heart of our children they may end up with some or all of these ungodly traits.
The question needs to be asked then, how do we sow such life and truth into their young hearts, and how do we raise up our children to reject such behaviours and live for God alone. You only have to walk through the average schoolyard to see , envy, deceit, malice, gossips, God haters, boastfulness, disobedience, pride, arrogance. And you will not only find plenty of kids who practice these traits but also plenty of kids who approve of them and egg each other on.
I believe the answer to this question is , as parents it is up to us from the day that our children are born, to instill the life blood of Jesus in them, like a burning hot fire that runs through their veins, that can never be extinguished by this world. It may at times die down to a dull flicker but once that fire is lit it will never go out. God promises us that, Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
Satan lives in this world waiting to devour all that he can, put the armour of God firmly on your children . Read scripture to them . Pray with them. Pray over them. Pray over the troubles in their day with them. Sit in church with them. Help them be actively involved in church, not just pew sitters. Dance to worship music with them. Give them a hard act to follow, don't be a ho hum christian yourself and expect to raise up a leader of Nations. And most of all love them unconditionally, show them Jesus through your heart, through your eyes, through your tender touches. Live a life worth following.

Our world is based so much on feelings not on Faith. Teach your children to walk by faith and not by sight. What they see in this world can blind them from God, but faith is brighter that anything that this world and all its darkness has to offer. Faith is the seed planted in their hearts that will grow and grow if it is nurtured.