We are Heading for a Big Holiday - *Gulp*

These few nights, I have been busy reading up and trying to understand the Great Britain and it is truly great and expansive. Well, I have never been there and researching from scratch is a massive task. Phew! But of course, I consider it a privilege to be able to labour on this. 

We are heading there under the pretext of Daniel's examinations and we will be touring there for a good 3 weeks in May [apparently a good time cos it is the start of spring and before the crowds fill into England]. I admit, I was very apprehensive bringing Sarah and Samuel on such long haul flights and a long trip. But the more I read, the more I am persuaded and appeased at the promises of a good trip. Of course, Daniel stated the aim of the trip and I modified it:) 

So, our big holiday has these 3 aims

• To walk through Christian Church History in UK and either Scotland or Switzerland. 
• To allow Sarah and Samuel to experience the sights and sounds of a great land and have a whale of a time. 
• To imbibe in the literary richness that this land has to offer. 

I am in the process of working out an itinerary and considering appropriate accommodation, travel options etc. I hope before we leave, to be able to post our itinerary on my blog so you can follow us when we travel. This is not to forget the packing list and kids travel entertainment considerations and safety. So, I will be busy, busy and busy but in a good sense:)

A Narration of John 2:13-17

 ¹³The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. ¹⁵And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.¹⁶And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade." ¹⁷His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."

I have heard this account many times when I was a child of how Jesus in his display of anger overturned the tables of the money changers and chased the merchants and their animals away. Pretty simple conclusions about His holy anger I have been taught. But as I contemplated in my readings and during BSF , I feel my tears welling up in my eyes. I think I had only just understood what made Christ do what He did. This is my own narration:

With rough arms gently folded, a poor peasant carried a young bleating lamb and patiently waited for his turn. It was the most precious young of his meagre fold but he wanted to present nothing less to his God. Exhausted from many weeks of travel but excited, he stood in a line that snaked through the courts of the temple and onto the noisy and busy streets. Though he came alone into Jerusalem for the Passover, he was accompanied in his endeavor with many of his fellow travelers, some of whom came with their prize oxen and others with their doves. In the midst of a spectacle of noise and stench, the peasant stood at peace as he approached the front of the line. He held up his little lamb to the priest as his act of obedience and submission to the God of his forefathers. But like most of his fellow travelers, the innocent and unsuspecting heart was rudely brushed aside because of claims that his offering was blemished. His peace was abruptly disrupted as he searched frantically to purchase the perfect lamb - one that would be accepted by the temple leaders. Still clutching his precious lamb, he rummaged through his pockets with the other to find money to purchase the unblemish lamb. However, each merchant he met was unsympathetic towards him. They gave no regard for his worn out shoes nor his weather beaten clothes but only demanded exorbitant payment for the purchase of an unblemished lamb, as tradition would have it. Desperate and secretly humiliated, the poor peasant did not know just what to do. He just may not have enough money to make it home. There were sadly many like him that day, lost but still determined to enter the temples that day. Undeterred, he thought to himself, 'Perhaps, if I haggled hard enough, I just might get a lamb with all that I have. I need to give my offering. '

Oblivious to their fate, are the scribes and pharisees who knew the law of Moses and the merchants who couldn't care about the law of Moses. They couldn't hear the heartfelt cries of the people amidst the hollers of merchants. They couldn't care less if the peasants could not worship God with their offerings. The passover was perhaps the most lucrative time of the year for the temple and for the merchant trade and they wanted to get the most out of it. 

Tired and exhausted, the peasant spotted a lone merchant at the corner of the road. 'Perhaps, this merchant can give me a lamb for all the coins I have'. As he was making his way to the corner of the road, he felt something press onto his arm. As he looked up, he was met with the eyes of a man, which were kind but sad. The man had quickly placed a beautiful lamb into his arms and spoke gently, "Take this, go and worship your God. With this, the kind man walked away. Bewildered at that kind and generous act and somewhat impressed by the sadness that he spotted in those kind eyes, the peasant stopped to observe this man. The kind man walked away quickly, bent down and gathered some chords that were lying on the floor. He twisted them together and what followed startled the peasant. 

The man started flaying the chords and they hit the coin laden tables and the cages with deft action. Coins flew abruptly and animals and men alike cried out wildly. "Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade, the man bellowed. Amidst the dramatic chaos, the mercenary merchants frantically tried to recollect their fortune of a day's worth, the highly revered leadership of scribes and pharisees tried to appease the crowd and convince everyone to return to their lines as they have done so for the past centuries...but the poor peasant stopped for the very first time in his passover rituals to consider what his act of worship really means to God- perhaps he is only beginning to understand the truth, reality and freedom of his worship to the God of Abraham, Jacob and Issac. But that, is probably what would make all the difference.

Art Work: Christ Cleansing the Temple by Bernardino Mei [1655]

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10

Breakfast Makeover for Kids

Hmm...yes, I finally have time to sit down, scour through the internet, cookery books and articles to work out some nutritious, healthy and of course yummy breakfast for the kids. Not to forget, top of my list is speedy preparation and easy cleanup. I admit, I took a longer time than I had envisage trying to balance organic foods with practicality and reality. I am still working out the finer details but I am so thankful to be able to start on this - one task which has been laying heavy on me. 2 simple breakfast recipes and 2 more to come. 4 would be enough to rotate through the week - till I find out more:)

Breakfast 1: Berry Banana Smoothie

Ingredients Used for 1 Serving [quite specific to assist my grocery shopping]:

• Organic Blueberries [6-7]
• Organic Large Strawberries [2] 
• Half a Banana
• 2 Tablespoons of Organic Yoghurt
• 1 Teaspoon Wild Organic Honey

• Bananas, Blueberries and Strawberries were frozen overnight
• Blend these fruits with natural fat free yoghurt & add a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
• Yup, a very quick nutritious recipe and very easy for the kids to finish. Recommended for the mornings when we need to bolt off to church or somewhere in the morning.

Breakfast 2: Tortilla Wrapped Banana with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Found these bowls from lifestorey in my cabinet - part of my crockery buying spree of my past. Woke the kids up and told them that their "Noah's Ark Banana Breakfast" is waiting for them. Sarah and Samuel were really excited and started to do flips on the bed with Mommy and Daddy:) We all did an enthusiastic morning prayer and Sarah did gobble her Noah's Ark quickly. Sammy took a while. 

Breakfast 3: Omelette with Apricot and Cheese

This recipe was partly inspired by Sammy's love for eggs as well as the fact that I had a bag of organic dried apricots which Sarah insisted on buying at NTUC Finest. 

• 2 large eggs
• Extra virgin olive oil 
• Cheese
• Apricot

Interestingly, with the apricot, you can avoid adding sugar and with the cheese, you can avoid adding salt. It was really yummy...I like it. Sammy like it. Sarah was more looking forward to Noah's Ark. 

I am glad. Back to more recipes:)

God Made the Land

Jie Jie Sarah and Baby Josiah

Sarah loves to remember Josiah in everything - from marshmallows to lollipops, well...close to everything. [My 1st attempt to blog via flickr]

Counting Down Towards the Cross of Christ: An Advent

I just did a google on the date that Good Friday is scheduled for, and realized that it is 2nd April 2010. Hmmm....I never knew that. Though the date is arbitrary [in a way], it serves as a gauge for my countdown towards the Cross. For this advent, apart from leading Sarah and Samuel towards the cross of Christ, would be for me to understand for myself why Jesus became flesh and died for us. I am excited to have found a resource that I would use as my reading for the month of March - 50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die by John Piper. May I encourage you to read this along with me, read 2 reasons a day [one for morning and one for  night] and may you know for yourself Why Jesus Came to Die and come to cherish the Old Rugged Cross and trust in the Christ of the Cross.

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/OnlineBooks/ByTitle/2289_Fifty_Reasons_Why_Jesus_Came_to_Die/ 

Homemade Playdough

Homemade stuff is really great because a mother decides what goes into it and we can make it free of harmful additives. Not to forget, it is easier on the pocket in the long run. This week, I finally attempted to make playdough for the kids. Inspired by my mother-in-law's successful attempt and how simple it was to make it, I finally tried it out for my own. It turned out great:)

With all the measuring and stirring, it is a half an hour job or faster. In a cooking pot, put the following:

1. 1 cup flour
2. 1 cup water
3. 1 tbsp cooking oil [I used my expired organic olive oil]
4. 1 tbsp cream of tartar
5. 1/2 cup salt

Stir all the ingredients well into a paste and place pot over small heat. Stir continuously till it becames a rather stiff paste [this can give a pretty good arm workout]. The key in having a good consistency is allowing the paste to cool before adding the food coloring. When cooled, take it and press it into a smooth dough. Add in food coloring as desired and presto! your very own playdough. Remember, add 3-4 drops of coloring would suffice because the color sets in over time. Extra tip: Put them in transparent containers and you will always know what color it is. So good, you can even eat it on its own:)

Grace Upon Grace

"And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace". John 1:16 [ESV]

These words from the Book of John are so beautiful to read, to ponder and just to meditate ...and so living and real. It is from the fullness of God's wisdom, love, power, holiness and excellence that we have received much as children of God.  And if we stop and pause to think, we would see that everyone of our lives as children of God is a testimony of God's grace upon grace upon grace upon grace.... that is the blessed hope for us:) 

What grace is mine that He who dwells in endless light
Called through the night to find my distant soul

And from his scars poured mercy that would plead for me

That I might live and in his name be known

So I will go wherever He is calling me

I lose my life to find my life in Him

I give my all to gain the hope that never dies

I bow my heart, take up my cross and follow Him

What grace is mine to know His breath alive in me

Beneath his wings my wakened soul may soar

All fear can flee for death's dark night is overcome

My Saviour lives and reigns forevermore

The Reason for Christmas is Only Beginning to Unfold

A thought has been on my mind these couple of weeks - Christ's death on the cross. I thank God for much opportunities to study the book of John in BSF as well as in Sunday School. Even so, I feel that there so much that I am only beginning to realize for the very first time. "The Word was God, the Word was with God, the Word was made flesh". Powerful and profound doctrines in just that verse alone. I pray God would make these truths a living reality in my life - a reality that will cause me to rejoice and praise Him in abandonment of men's approval all the days of my life. 

Sadly, in my religious past, the remembrance of Christ's death on the cross is often passed over, or it receives very little priority in the yearly schedule, minus a song or two. A pity and a real shame. I think as hard as I might to excuse this neglect, but to be honest, I can find no reasonable excuse for this tardiness. Perhaps, the only reasonable explanation is an incomplete understanding of the true message of the gospel. This neglect could be further compounded with the extensive period of celebration for the Chinese New Year and the ever important tests and examination stress that Singaporean students go through during that part of the year. But, if only we all understood the full message of the gospel of Christ , then we would understand how little value are the things we value about. I hope to demolish this tardiness and rebuild this emphasis in my children through a purposeful advent of Christ's death. Sarah and Samuel WILL know the importance of Christ and His Cross. And I pray that God would draw them to Himself through the knowledge given to them. 

To you my dear readers, what does Good Friday mean to you?

• A public holiday?
• Another occasion for more drinking, more merrying and more laughter?
• A resuscitation from the celebrations of Chinese New Year?
• Another day of recreation?
• Another breather from work?
• A day to catch up on homework undone?

Oh, let us not forget Good Friday, because that is the reason for Christmas. Let us not forget Christ's death on the Cross, because that is the reason why He was made flesh and came to dwell amongst men. 

Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For sinners such as I?
Refrain
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine—
And bathed in its own blood—
While the firm mark of wrath divine,
His Soul in anguish stood.

Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died,
For man the creature’s sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.

But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give my self away
’Tis all that I can do.

Words: Isaac Watts (1707)

It's never too late nor too early to remember and 
ponder Christ's death on the cross for us.

I am Here!

My little nephew, Josiah and Sarah and Samuel's new playmate is finally out after a wonderfully smooth delivery. Praise God for His protection and grace and we marvel at the work of the Lord:)