Some help for tackling the book of Ezekiel

I've been toughing my way through Ezekiel recently.  It's a tough book about tough times.  Ezekiel knew some very hard times.  He lived through the siege and sacking of Jerusalem and was carried off into exile by the Babylonians.  (Reading through Jeremiah gives a clear picture of just how horrible it would have been to have lived through that time.)  And Ezekiel - God's messenger to His people in exile - was deeply, deeply aware and heavily burdened by the blackness of sin. 

So many of the pictures and messages recorded in the book of Ezekiel are largely of pain and hardship.  There is clear judgment for God's people who have persisted in their sin and turned their backs on the One who loves them.  There is clear judgment for the nations who have scorned God's people. And then there are the natural consequences of bad decisions.  It is hard reading.

And yet, the words "Sovereign Lord" are mentioned over 200 times throughout the book.  This is what the Sovereign Lord says.  This is what the Sovereign Lord will do.  This is what the Sovereign Lord is doing.  In all the hardship, confusion and grief, God is present and with a purpose.  Natural consequence is fair and God's judgment is righteous.  And that righteousness and purpose is borne out in a second phrase that appears time and time again - "Then they will know that I am the Lord."  And so the book of Ezekiel, in all that is tough, is filled with hope because for all who cry out and turn to the God who loves them, there is the promise of restoration and peace for all eternity.

Ezekiel presents a snapshot of a particular time in the history of God's people.  It's also a timeless message for all people - God's very good creation - through all of history because even though the details are different, the reality is much the same.  But back to the book and how to get into it...there is hope through God's sovereignty, love and righteousness to be found on every page of Ezekiel - and looking for that will assist in the very worthwhile work of persevering through the pages of this book for deep insight into times past, present and future.

Winter update - 2015

Completely missed: the autumn update.  Autumn was mainly taken up with my mother-in-law's final illness and passing away.  I spent many hours with her particularly in her last month and shed many tears for not one but two mothers when our boys' last grandparent went Home to be with Jesus.   

Thereafter: I felt compelled to do some homely stuff.  So we installed some raised garden beds and I have been growing vegies.

 

Seedlings, good soil and some rain will do the trick.  It's not very hard.  Well, not in winter.  Summer may be a different matter. 

I did hear the good advice of planting out one bed with all the things you are likely to use every three weeks so that the harvest is staggered.  That makes very good sense.  Because in a few weeks, if all continues to go to plan, we will have a colossal beetroot stash.  So once the winter vegies are in I might give that system a go.

While the vegies were busy growing: I pressed on with the crochet project.  The want to crochet came to me at just the right time.  I didn't realise it but I have needed to sit and rest a while and it has been so nice to sit and create something beautiful, and while hands are occupied in this gentle work, to pray.

If you look closely you'll see it's pretty rustic really - and that's just the front.  The back, with all the finishing off...well, let's just say I'm not going to win first prize at the local agricultural show.  (Might enter my beetroots instead!)  But it has been a restoring thing to do.
 

There is a pattern in all of that, believe it or not.  It's on the diagonal.

And one of my sons, bless him, has suggested that I ought not to leave it out on the sofa when it is finished because all the babies and toddlers that come to visit during the week might ruin it.  So he has offered to keep it on his bed.  And I think I might just take him up on his sweet offer.

While crocheting: I often think of Psalm 139:13 which says, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb."  As I have made this blanket every inch of wool has passed through my fingers on its way to being crafted into a granny square, which gives me a warm sense of wonder and awe at God's personal love for us.  Amazing.

Reading: well, there's an interesting story.  I read and read and read and read for months on end.  Got to the end of one book and started in on the next one straight away.  I worked my way through an impressive list of titles - all fiction and even during term time (!!) - and then I read "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver and it stopped me in my tracks.  I was so moved by it that I couldn't pick up another book.  For days.  So I picked up a crochet hook in earnest and haven't really read anything else apart from the (real) Bible since then. 

But I am recently emerged from a very busy season (we just had our annual five day Holiday Bible Club and this year I was administrating it as well as running games and craft activities) and am thinking it is time to get reading again.  I have a couple of books by Allan Chapple and a couple by Jerry Bridges that I am keen to read and I have two books about teenagers on the list as well.  So reading it seems is set to recommence.

Fringe update:  "It was already getting annoyingly long and I think I will past the truly annoying stage in five to ten weeks at current rate of growth," said I at the beginning of February.  I'm not one to spend hours gazing at myself in the mirror but oh, it has been a long and awkward six months.  Two weeks ago I figured it had finally grown into something you might dare to call a hairstyle.  So if I ever mention that I'm thinking of cutting in a fringe again you must take me in hand and tell me, "No."  Be firm.

In other news:  I have ventured back into the world of paid work in a small way.  When I made the decision back here to not work it came down to this...

"As a Christian, how do I best use the time now given to me to serve God, my family and my community, bearing in mind my own capacities and circumstances?  It's not a question anyone else can answer for me.  Nor is it one I can answer for anyone else.  But that is the big question."

And I have asked the same question in deciding to put my name down at our local school for some relief teaching.  It came down to a Kingdom decision rather than a bank account one.  So I did a few days here and there and not long after I found myself with a one-day-a-week fixed position until the end of the year in a year 4/5 room. It's lovely being back in the classroom actually.  And middle primary is just the bees knees.

However...I can see that trying to get full registration back is going to be quite an exercise...

Loved: series five of Downtown Abbey.  I waited impatiently for it to come out on DVD and then devoured it almost whole.  I guess it will be a year before the next instalment.  Waiting, waiting... I'm glad they are finishing at series six though.  It is good not to push these things too long or too hard.

Was also waiting impatiently: for all your advice on mobile phones.  But you all just wanted me to work it out on my own, I know.  Well I think one of the statements I made, more than the others, and my slow cooker have helped me come a mind on the issue.  More on that later.

Nearing the end: of the minor prophets with the Monday evening Bible reading group.  Wow!  It has been a wonderful adventure.  If you want to know about God in all of His mighty power, holiness, righteousness, mercy, compassion, love and sovereignty then this is the part of the Bible for you.  Breathtaking.

Also recently: had a ramble through Philippians again.  It has been a while since I was there.  And the desire to memorise this book has been rekindled.  Does anyone want to join in with me?

Very excited: to be following the Everyday Gratitude project.  As I write this, the project has 10 days to go and is close to 80% funded.  I hope it happens.

Fresh back: from a five day holiday by the seaside. 

Nothing nicer than a winter holiday by the sea.  Feeling refreshed, a few goals for the next six months set in place and all ready for the second half of the year.  I hope you are too.
Mx

Which century to live in?

My flip phone (aka dinosaur phone and dumb phone) is in the death throes.
Some days I think I should get myself technologically up to date.
Some days I think my flip phone has all I need in a mobile phone.
Some days I think having a smart phone would be fun.
Some days I think I don't want all the stuff a smart phone offers at my fingertips.
Some days I think having the answers at my fingertips would be useful.
Some days I think having a flip phone resonates with living simply.
Some days I think I am disadvantaged not having a smart phone.
Some days I wonder why I am making such a big deal of this.
Most days, these days, I know I'm going to need a make a decision soon because there are not many more days left for my flip phone.

Keep your head and pray. With hope.

"The end of all things is near.  Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray." 
1 Peter 4:7

I read this verse yesterday.  It reminds me to keep my head, to keep praying and do both with hope and purpose.  Blessed reminders with a couple of busy months on the horizon. 

Feeling grateful

I came across this quote at the end of March and decided to dedicate April to giving it a go.  I threw the concept up onto Facebook and not too many moments later #gratefulapril was a thing.  So it's been pretty quiet here because there have been daily moments of gratitude happening on Facebook instead.

Over the month I found myself variously grateful for...

The Word of God.
Jesus' death and resurrection.
The gift of prayer and the gift of my prayer triplet.
Long weekends.
Bargains.
Schools, educational opportunities and holidays.
New ministries starting up at church.
Family, friends and neighbours.  Specifically neighbours who intentionally planted their lemon tree right up close to our fence so that we could share their lemons.
The abundance we enjoy.
Music and books.
Art and history.

I wasn't sure about doing the daily thing on Facebook to begin with, because I didn't want it to become a month of zoning in on one thing each day.  The intention was to practice gratitude continuously throughout the day. 

But it ended up being an excellent discipline.  Many days, as I grew in my capacity for thankfulness, it was hard to choose one thing.  That was a good problem to have.  But as with any life in any month, some days were hard.  And on those days it was good to have to dig deep and redeem God's goodness in daily life.

It was such a good exercise that I have decided to keep going.  Not on Facebook though.  The community aspect was very encouraging, at times moving and often lots of fun however I think it would become boring and tedious for others in time and of course it led to considerable time wasting.   So I'm taking away the "Face" and just recording one or two things that I'm grateful for each day in a book.

On the good days I hope this practice will remind me to be grateful for ALL the good things (moreover, to give expression to that gratitude, which is the very thing that gives this quote legs) and on the harder days to be reminded that even so, we have much for which to thank God.



My first granny square

And so it begins

Grateful April

I don't know who Sue Fitzmaurice is but it doesn't really matter.  I think what she says is right.  I recall when I was at university and for a time the world wasn't looking all that bright.  I decided I would finish the day listing three things I was grateful for, even if two of them were that the sun came up and the sky was blue, every single day.  It took little more than a week to shift me out of my mood.  And as I recall, I was in quite a mood, so that was a fairly quick turn around.

There are lots of ways to express gratitude. 
Write it down.
Say thank you - spoken words, written words, a hug, a gift, a smile.
Return an act of service or pay it forward.
Show respect.
Find contentment, even in the small things.
Shake off discontentment by searching for the good in the moment. 
Praise God.

Will you join me?

The Radical Disciple by John Stott

Here's a wonderful book you might like to read.  The Radical Disciple is the last book written by John Stott.  At the end of this book he put down his pen and finished his writing ministry.  As such it has a similar feel to Paul's second letter to Timothy - full of wonderful and pastoral words but with the tenderness that comes with a final letter.

In The Radical Disciple Stott chose to wrote about some of the hallmarks you would hope to see in someone who is actively and intentionally seeking to grow in Christlikeness.  He has addressed eight issues that growing Christians ought to be thinking about.  These include:

Non-conformity
Christlikeness
Maturity
Creation-care
Simplicity
Balance
Dependence
and
Death

It's a slightly random list but Stott himself says that this list isn't exhaustive.  The style shifts and changes from chapter to chapter - at times it reads like a short essay (don't be scared by the word "essay" though because it is very accessible writing) while at other times there are personal anecdotes, specially selected quotes from old favourites and extracts from sermons and talks.  In lots of ways it reads like a personal journal - and you get a real sense of what it must have been like to sit with him in his study and talk together about all the good stuff.

This book is a pure delight to read, filled with the words of a mature, wise, well thought through saint - instructive, pastoral and full of encouragement to strive for godliness without engendering guilt. 

The Radical Disciple would be a great birthday present book (I know this to be true because I received a copy of it for my birthday from a dear friend), a valuable volume for a church library and a fascinating read for a book club with so many great and relevant issues up for discussion.  John Stott has left us with an amazing and beautiful gift in this book.

We always have a choice, all of us.

As she sank to her knees on the grass and sobbed, the memory of a conversation with Frank floated into her awareness. 
"But how?  How can you just get over these things, darling?" she had asked him.  "You've had so much strife but you're always happy.  How do you do it?"
"I choose to," he said.  "I can leave myself to rot in the past, spend my time hating people for what happened, like my father did, or I can forgive and forget."
"But that's not easy."
He smiled that Frank smile.  "Oh, but my treasure, it is so much less exhausting.  You only have to forgive once.  To resent, you have to do it all day, every day.  You have to keep remembering all the bad things...No," his voice became sober, "we always have a choice.  All of us."

From The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, chapter 35.

For the fans of The Lego Movie

So I was continuing on with At Home by Bill Bryson yesterday, in a chapter on domestic architecture, when I came upon this paragraph...

Palladio's methods were based on rigorous adherence to rules, and were modeled on the precepts of Vitruvius, a Roman architect of the first century BC.  Vitruvius wasn't a particularly distinguished architect.  He was really more of a military engineer.  What made him valuable to history was the accidental fact that his writings survived - the only architectural work from classical antiquity to do so.  A lone copy of Vitruvius' text on architecture was found on a shelf at a monastery in Switzerland in 1415.  Vitruvius laid down exceedingly specific rules regarding proportions, orders, shapes, materials and anything else that could be quantified.  Formulas ruled everything in his world.  The amount of spacing between columns in a row, say, could never be left to instinct or feeling, but was dictated by strict formulas designed to confer an automatic and reliable harmony.  This could be dizzyingly particular.

From At Home by Bill Bryson, page 411 - 412.

No wonder Vitruvius was the master masterbuilder.

Summer update - 2015

Getting in: on a summer update just in time.  Twenty one days until the change of season.

Had: a lovely summer including two weeks of a house sitting holiday close to the beach.  House sitting holidays are the best.  Ever thankful to our family members and friends who let us live in their houses at odd times in the year.  And while we were at the beach on Australia Day we saw a television team on the shore collecting footage for the evening news so #2 son got himself interviewed and had his five seconds of fame that evening. 

Saw: several movies during January.  Night at the Museum III - very, very good but quite poignant at the end given it was Robin Williams' last film.  Madagascar Penguins - crazy stuff.  Too much going on for me.  Or maybe I was just feeling tired that day.  Paper Planes - a great Australian kids' film.  Loved it.  And the last Hobbit installment - loved it.  Better than part two.  Some very moving moments between the characters.  Great acting. 
Four films...lots of maltesers.  Happy days.

Sent: #1 son off to high school after the holidays.  He is doing well.  It is lovely to see them growing up and thriving and getting all big and independent.  Such a gift and a blessing.

Thankful: to God for His loving faithfulness.  I feel like my prayers have been very small lately (not praying the big prayers at the moment at all) and yet God has answered all of my prayers in all of their smallness in more abundance than I could have ever imagined.  More so, He has answered the prayers I haven't prayed as yet but meant to get to at some stage.  So encouraged.  And ready to pray bigger again.

Feeling good: about a less structured year.  I have two days that are fairly full and three days that may be filled with relief teaching a bit later on in the year when the teachers are so not freshly out of school holidays.  And if not filled by teaching these days will be filled well and appropriately depending on what's on the TO DO list or whether I need to have a quiet one.  Even now I still find myself easily wearied.  Not quite recovered from last year as yet.  God in His kindness has given me some space to rest and also the space to live and respond a little more spontaneously this year.

Loving: the old Bible reading plan.  Behind already. (Could I have been distracted while on holidays just a tiny bit???)  But will catch up again.

Looking forward: to my Bible study/reading groups starting up again this coming week.  One group will be studying John.  Another is reading through the minor prophets in one-to-one Bible reading style.  And the group with lots of kids, distracted mothers and one or two enquiring about the Christian faith is going to have a go at a terrific new Matthias Media study called  You, Me and the Bible which looks like one-to-one Bible reading meets Two Ways to Live. 

Reading: At Home by Bill Bryson still.  I was trying to think of a word that sums up his writing style and finally it came to me.  Endearing.  That was two pages before I hit the chapter about rats in homes.  Now I am even more certifyably, scream-like-a-girl scared of them!  Rats aside, a brilliant brilliant book. 

Reserved: One Day by David Nicholls at the library.  The summer reading continues it seems.

Growing: my fringe out.  I'm sure you all wanted to know that.  I made that decision on a whim last week.  It was already getting annoyingly long and I think I will past the truly annoying stage in five to ten weeks at current rate of growth.  That's not that long...

Apologising: to landfill.  The great two house clear out of 2014 has seen me launch a pitiful assault on landfill.  More and more I am committed to the decluttering movement - have only what you need and what is beautiful.  Get rid of the extra.  And then don't replace it.  Fortunately I am not much of a shopper and while we are dealing with the volumes of stuff, we are paring down our own possessions as well.  Op shops have done well too but there has been so much that just had to be junked.

Becoming addicted: to Gumtree and another online buying and selling site.  Not that I am buying anything.  Just selling.  And it is going well.  Although I do have table that no-one seems interested in.

No: progress on the Philippians project or the crocheting project.  Did write some short letters to send with our Christmas letter - the ones that finally went out by snail mail.  I well and truly crossed over to the darkest part of the dark side at the end of last year.  No Christmas cards in the post.  Christmas letter written and EMAILED out on New Year's Eve.  Those that needed to be sent out via snail mail posted, I think, on 28th January.  And yet, despite all these things, the earth still seems to be turning.

Off: to watch the end of The Hundred Foot Journey newly out on DVD.  A beautifully filmed, intelligent, feel good movie.  It's gorgeous.  No maltesers.  Ah well.

Summer reading

I got myself reading glasses two or three years ago and there has not been a day when I haven't been thankful for them.  It is truly miraculous to be able to read print so easily.  But clearly in the time I've had them I haven't read lots and lots.  How do I know?  Because this holidays I read a vast amount and the bridge of my nose where my glasses sit is slightly tender.  But so worth it.  It has been a joyous time with so many good books.

 

 

This summer's reading commenced with The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce.  I have declared this to be the best novel of 2015, which is a big call so early into the year. Harold receives a letter from Queenie, a friend and work colleague from many years previous, letting him know she is dying and is thankful for his many kindnesses shown to her all those years ago.  In shock, he pens a quick letter back and sets off to post it.  When he reaches the mail box, deep in thought and memory, he isn't quite ready to let his letter go and head home so he decides to walk to the next letter box, and then the next and then the next...and ultimately he walks the entire length of England from south to north, to deliver the letter in person.  But does he make it in time?  This is a tale about a journey, reflection, atonement, transitions, moving on. 

 

 

I read The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, the companion volume to Harold's story, straight after.  This is Queenie's story, told while Harold is making his pilgrimage.  The benefit of reading them back to back is to see the extremely cleverly crafted parallel journey they take.  The downside is that this story is grittier and it takes away some of the innocence of its companion volume...although the truly innocent characters remain innocent in both.  I am a sucker for books that tell the same story from different points of view but given my time again I would probably give myself six months gap between volumes.

 

 

Speaking of telling the same story from different points of view, The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd is the story of Sarah, a white American, and Handful, her black African slave given to Sarah on her 11th birthday.  Both are of similar age.  The story commences in the early 1800s - a time when intelligence in women and racial differences were not honoured.  (That is putting it positively...)  The story spans their lives, told in the first person alternating chapter by chapter between Sarah and Handful, with some delightful twists and surprises for the reader especially towards the end.  It doesn't make for easy reading at times - it is difficult subject matter - but Sue Monk Kidd has an astonishingly large and elegant vocabulary and her turn of phrase time and again was breathtaking - and it was her beautiful command of the English language that kept me turning the pages especially in the more torrid sections.   Very worthwhile reading.

 

And then Lila.  For anyone else who loves reading the same story from a different point of view and loves a novel by Marilynne Robinson, this one ticks all the boxes and more.  Companion volume to Gilead and Home, it felt like a sad book at times but at the same time full of hope, light and blessing too. A tale of transitions from harsh life to gentle life.

 

 

Us reads like a cheery, chatty blog with short, cheery chapters.   Douglas (54) is married to Connie and they have one son named Albie (18).  Douglas and Connie plan to take Albie on a Grand Tour of Europe to see all the great works of art before he heads off to university.  It ends up being a grand tour in which Douglas seeks to save his marriage and reconnect with his increasingly distant son.  If you love art and Europe this is a fun read.  I admit that it was losing me at Amsterdam - which is the cleverness of the writing because Nicholls captures the hallmark elements of each location with each change of scenery - and I only held on because Italy (ah, bell'Italia) was approaching.  But I found my happy place in Italy and the novel finished well.  It was fun.  I would like to get One Day from the library and have a read some time soon.

 

 

Speaking of wanting to read more of a particular author, I haven't read any Bill Bryson before but it won't be too long before I put his book Down Under (and maybe even some others by him) on reserve at the library.  At Home.  This is not a novel.  It's a history book.  And it's fantastic.  I haven't finished it yet.  Bryson takes the reader on a tour of his home - a rectory in Engand - room by room, recounting the history of domestic life.  Things like why we even have rooms - a relatively recent thing historically speaking - for starters.  Things like why we have salt and pepper on our tables and not some other spice, why forks have four tines, a history of lighting and electricity in houses.  Windows.  How did houses come to have windows?  Sounds a bit dry?  I do it no justice.  This books is a laugh out loud (and I generally laugh on the inside when I am reading but not with this one) and fascinating page turner.  The best I can say is that of the eight books I read this summer, this is one of three that I own - not reading this from the library - and it is one I am very pleased to be able to keep on my shelf and share with my friends.

 

I stopped At Home for a few days because my request at the library for The Rosie Effect, the sequel to The Rosie Project, came up.  (And At Home is a book you can comfortably pick up and put down without losing the momentum.)  The Rosie Project is a fun read and so is this - good for holidays  although you know how sequels are often never quite as good...  Compared with The Rosie Project the plot in this one is busy, which is structurally right given the move from single man living and working in Australia to married man living and working in New York.  Mix Apserger Syndrome (fairly high end) into the equation and you get the idea.  The book captures the changes perfectly.  Chaotic at times but it all came together in a very satisfying way in the end.

At one stage I was in between books, waiting for The Rosie Effect to come up on reserve at the library and for At Home to arrive in the mail, so I pulled The Happiest Refugee off the shelf where we were staying.  Ahn Do is a Vietnamese refugee, family man and actor/comedian/author.  The Happiest Refugee shows life as a refugee (what life was like before escaping, the horrible, horrible escape and what life is like in a new country with few rights and no resources) in a light way.  Enough to get a very clear sense of what it is like to be a refugee without leaving the reader having nightmares - enough to engender empathy and response without being paralysed by the horror and with plenty to entertain along the way.  And Ahn Do shows gratitude in action.  Good work Ahn Do.  He also has a series of kids books - the Weir Do series - that does the same thing for children and our boys loved them.

But for now, it's back to At Home for me.