Ponder These Treasures

Boxing Day fell on a Sunday this year, but our vicar had not wanted to have a service on Boxing Day so he let others in the church organise a service if they wanted one.

The Nativty we have by the tree

I went along and there were not many there. But I was struck by the fact that the vicar had boxed up all the things of Christmas from inside the church and so you would never have known it had been Christmas the day before.
Not a trace of candles, tinsel or a manger scene.


I was struck with a feeling of loss.
Christmas this year hadn’t been quite the same with the death of Moeder and I had had a bit of surgery under general anesthetic straight after, so the excitement of the Birth of Jesus Christ was not quite in our home.

One of my Nativity scenes from Avon

As I sat in church looking around and listening to the sharing, I felt grieved by the passing of Christmas and picked up my Bible.
I read from Luke 2 the best description of the first Christmas story, the birth of Christ. Although you can also read it in Matthew chapters 1 and 2 the passages from Luke is the one read at Nativity plays.

In chapter 2 of Luke there is the account of the Shepherds in the field watching over their sheep.

Another from Avon

Now I have always been under the impression (my thoughts only) that the shepherds visited Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus, after his birth, (Christmas Day) so that when they had visited the baby in the stable and then went out rejoicing, it was the new day – Boxing Day as we know it - and so Christmas is still with us. I mean shepherds were pretty lowly people in those days and wouldn't have been listened to by others, so it would have taken awhile for the message to 'get through'.

I then found comfort (as God usually does for me from His Word) in verse 19 of Luke.

19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart

And then I realised the truth for me of Christmas, Boxing Day and for ever after;

‘pondering these treasures in my heart.’

Mary had discovered something more of what her baby was to be and I  too continually learn new things of God and His love for me.

So Christmas and the joy of it will be forever in me. I do know the true meaning of Christmas and the sacrifice of why Jesus came to earth, but for this moment I gained a further insight into the wonder of God.

Both these decorations are on our tree

This decoration was given to me by Theresa a couple of years ago.

All scripture is from the New International Version

A Dairy Farmers take on Santa

Every year a dairy farming family, that some of our children went to school with, put out a display in one of their roadside paddocks. It is usually the week before Christmas and as they are on State Highway 1 every car, truck, tourist and local see it.

It makes me smile when I see the children, now grown ups (like ours) and some still farming on the farm, putting up the display or just come around the corner, forgetting that this family do it and then there it is.

Of course it is not quite PC for Santa but then neither is snow in New Zealand so if you believe in Santa (or Father Christmas) then you have to make allowances.

Yes so Christmas is nearly here.
Take time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and if you are reading this today in the rush of things...

Psalm 46:10

He [God] says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

All scripture is from New International Version

A Belated Birthday

Yesterday evening when I was off to bed Harry came down and asked
"Are you expecting any mail?"
"No", I replied.
"Well this has arrived. Some one has just walked up the front steps and left it at the door"

Looking at the parcel, it was addressed to me but to our old address across the road.
It was from my sister and in it were four wonderfully wrapped gifts.

When you receive gifts wrapped like that, you almost don't want to unwrap them as they look so pretty. But me being me I just had to there and then, Imean the card was not a Christmas card.
What a lovely selection of things just for me that I just love.

Some silicone cup-cake cases, chocolates, Susan Boyles Christmas CD, "the Gift" and a magnetic shopping list.
And the card told of how she knew it was late but really I didn't care it was just so nice to be remembered and that in her busy life she had sent me some lovely things.

Thank you Ailsa you special sister

Shortbread

This is another recipe from my manual training days when I was 12.
We had to rub the butter into the other ingredients with our fingers but I now use my kitchen whiz.
Another thing when we were taught this recipe, was that we had to measure all the ingredients exactly making them level on the measuring spoon by running a knife along the edge of the spoon.
For some reason I still do that!

Shortbread

1 cup flour
4 Tbsp cornflour
4 Tbsp icing sugar
Pinch of salt
125gr butter (cold from the fridge)

Place all ingredients in a kitchen whiz.
Pulse a little for the butter to be cut up a bit and then process until the mixture forms a ball around the blade.
Roll out onto a floured surface to half a centimeter thick.
Try not to over work the mixture or it will loose its buttery texture
Cut into shapes and place on a tray lined with baking paper.
I use cutters for special occasions like Christmas but other times I just cut into squares.
Prick each shape with a fork and then bake in a preheated over at 160ºC for 20 minutes.
Cool a little and then finish cooling on a wire rack.

This year I am making up a little hamper for my parents as a Christmas gift so I have individually wrapped some of the shortbread to add to it.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

I heard the sirens a couple of times before I remembered what they were for.

 

Every Year Santa comes around our town giving out ice blocks and lollies to the local children.

Ever since we arrived here over 25 years ago our children have waited at the gate once they heard the sirens for their treat.

This year was the first time there was no one in our house hanging out to meet him.

Even the last few years Daniel would greet Santa’s helper with a water pistol so as to get to Santa first as the clown had his own and would readily use it.

 

The sound of the sirens has the added sound of Christmas songs, as the gaily decorated fire engine, from the local Volunteer Fire Brigade, approaches your home.

Santa, his helper the fairy and clown, walk the street and a ‘fireman’ hands out the ice blocks.The fairy has a basket of lollies to give one "for the other hand".

Out side our house they even honked the horn but Katrina had already told me, when I woke her to get dressed to receive her treat, that she didn’t need to see Santa.

My last baby had grown up. 

OK she is sixteen but I realised it was now time to make sure the Grandchildren come to play the day the Tirau Fire Brigade give back to the community.

As Carefree as a Sparrow

I was reading a devotion from my daily readings - The Word for Today a free booklet from Rhema Broadcasting.

While John was a prisoner on the Isle of Patmos, far from his loved ones and surrounded by the cries of abused captives, he had a vision of Jesus. He writes, ‘…When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead…’ (Revelation 1:17 NKJV) Incredible revelation in the midst of confinement, chaos and pain; that’s how it works! The difficult circumstances you’re going through right now can actually clear your perceptions, cause you to seek God as never before, and find answers for your life. John’s predicament proves that negative experiences don’t hide the Lord; they reveal Him. Instead of destroying you, Satan’s attack can actually develop you. Yes, it stresses you, but it also stretches you spiritually. There’s a place in God where fiery trials consume everything except your desire to know Him.. It was Paul’s all-consuming goal: ‘I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ.’ (Philippians 3:8 NIV) There it is: no reservations, no retreat, and no regrets; just a desire to know God intimately and a commitment to ‘go all the way with Him’. 

I was reminded of the time, in November 2004, when I was ill with a breakdown called Anxiety Adjustment Disorder.
At the time I was admitted into the Henry Bennett Centre at the Waikato Hospital which is the ward for the Mentally Ill.

At times I found I did not know what to pray for any more. I knew God was there right beside me but even my thoughts were 'scrambled" as to what I needed.
I even thought I had let God down by not coping as I was a Christian. I mean where was God in all this!
On the second day as I sat in the locked fenced courtyard waiting to see if I was allowed to stay with my friends I watched some sparrows having a dust bath and scratching in the grass for bugs.
I thought I wish I was a sparrow, free to fly away and with no worries.
As plain as can be God told me to look up in Matthew 6:25 onwards the scripture of how He cares for the sparrow and how I was not to worry about a thing and how I was so valuable to Him. I was so happy and relaxed in just that short time I knew I was in God's hands even then and that my faith could never be taken away from me.

Matthew 6:25-34

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. 

All scripture is from (New International Version)

Sweet Peas

Today I went out for lunch with the Aunty Pearls Club.
It is a group of woman over the age of 50 and we wear our pearls. Events vary depending on what might be going on in a near by town so we can all go together or we may just meet up for fellowship as arranged by The Three Duchesses.
Today was just that; morning tea, lunch and a swim if you wanted at a beautiful home out in the country with views of the Waikato River and native birds in amongst the bush.
A great time of just relaxing, sharing in food and fellowship at this busy time of year.

On leaving I was given a bunch of beautiful sweet peas, that as I type are still filling the house with their fragrance.
I particularly love this bunch as they are in my favourite colours of purple.

The smell is not only true to their name but the memories are flooding back of my grandparents place.

They had a huge vegetable garden, a glass house, grew vegetables and had fruit trees and hens that seemed to supply much more than they could ever eat.
Their flower gardens were fill of flowers too, but every Christmas one side of the garage was a mass of brightly coloured sweet peas and I have never seen anyone else grow as many in one place!

I have Christmas Carols playing in the back ground at the moment and I am reminded of my dear Granny. We would go to their place for Christmas and there were always many family members there too. Granny and Granddad would produce so much food for as many people as there were there and then still have left overs.

One year my small family of Harry, our first born and I went to spend Christmas with my sister in New Plymouth on a dairy farm as they couldn't get away at that time of the year.
We wanted to reproduce the kind of Christmas meals Grannny made and realised how much work she and Granddad put in to make these all happen.
I don't think they would have got much sleep on Christmas Eve.

But that Christmas day Granddad and Granny were going to my parents for afternoon tea, but they didn't make it.
They had a car accident and Granny died in hospital later that afternoon.

So Christmas has had mixed feelings over the last 29 years but the delight of sweet peas and the thoughts I have of my wonderful Granny as I prepare our Christmas feasts bring a smile of how special she was.

Granddad and Granny - George and Ada McEwen 1979