This is me

29.10.14

Lemon Lime Ambrosia

My flatmate recently made Ambrosia for her sister's 21st the way most Kiwis tend to with cream, berry yoghurt, a tin of berries and marshmallows. My mind went back to the first time I had ever seen Ambrosia made and instead of marshmallows, crushed up meringues were used. Yum. This got me thinking... I'm not the biggest fan of berries so what else could go into ambrosia? We often have a jar of home made lime curd in our fridge and I'm sure there is a lemon yoghurt out there. Citrus for the win! This dessert is so easy and delicious!

Cream, lemon yoghurt, lime curd

A dozen home made (or store bought) meringues.

Lightly whip the cream.

Stir through a couple of big spoons of curd and the crushed meringues.

Serve and enjoy!

31.8.13

Faithful actions...

While reading through the famous chapter 11 of Hebrews in my quiet times this past week. I was reminded again of the great faithfulness the people written about showed in some rather trying, unfair and hard to imagine circumstances in their lives.

A couple of thoughts came to mind while I was reading verses 8-29 last weekend.

1) Faith requires movement into the unknown and eyes that are looking forward to a heavenly home.

Abraham left his home not knowing where he was going to end up and lived unsettled for many years. Abraham wasn't alive to see all that was promised to him by God come to be. Yet he died still living by faith. The thing with Abraham was that he wasn't living by faith just so he could see these earthly promises be fulfilled. He was living by faith with his eyes set on God and the heavenly promises before him.

2) The faithful actions of one person can change the course of history.

This is an interesting thought. Abraham, for example, showed faithfulness in his actions by being obedient to God and setting out sacrifce his only son. The son who's life was a miracle and fulfilment of a promise. God intervened and provided another offering for the sacrifice but Abraham had Isaac on the alter, he was committed.

I wonder what would have happened if Abraham had refused? I suppose this statement can work in a negative sense as well. The unfaithful actions of one person can change the course of history.

We serve a God who is faithful to us. He proved that in an almighty way to Abraham and Isaac. He shows me his faithfulness in many small ways each day.

Why then is it so hard for me to remain faithful to God. He is the one who is unchanging and shows me grace and mercy each day. 'Keeping the faith' and remaining strong really shouldn't be the struggle that it sometimes turns out to be.

I think that Abraham's faith and obedience to God can be a challenge and reminder to me of the seriousness of faith. That my faithfulness and obedience makes a difference in my life and in the lives of those around me. Even if that difference is just small.

23.3.13

Faith building

In life it seems that it is really easy to forget all of the amazing things God does for me. There are the small but not so small daily miracles. Breathing, heart pumping, eyes seeing, ears hearing. I have a roof over my head, food in my cupboards, family that love me. These things God graciously gives me every day with my asking. Today I am pausing to thank God for these things. These things help build my faith.

There's a different side to this too. There are things that I ask God for in prayer. I was challenged last night at Checkpoint to ask for things according to God's will in the situation. Something I knew but clearly needed reminding of. Sometimes the answer is what I want; sometimes it's a no, a wait or a maybe. These responses are all answers. These responses help build my faith.

Something special that God does for me and for many others too is speak into situations in my life, show me things, give me a scripture that encourages me. These arrive in a way that feels sort of like a whisper to my soul. I've come to realise that it is really easy to miss these things in the busyness of life or write them off as mere coincidences. I am choosing to see these things as 'Just so obviously God' moments in my life. Not surprisingly it's easier to see/hear these things when I'm walking closely with God, something that is quite a journey in itself. I am choosing to see these moments though and I'm choosing to see God's hand in them. I am writing them down because these just so obviously God moments help build my faith.

8 years

This is the 8th year I've had a blog! Crazy.

Interesting to look back on this digital diary of sorts and see how things have changed. I found a huge entry on my first Youth Reachout trip to Fiji in 2008. That trip changed the course of my life in so many ways.

Soon enough I'll be turning 28, in another 8 years I'll be close to 36. I wonder where I'll be then and what new adventures I will have pursued.

20.3.13

Things I like...

Reading and yes I keep a log of all the books I read and one of my goals this year is about how many books I want to read. I was one off last year and really want to achieve it this time round.

Gardening! Love getting outside and digging in the garden. Even better? Pulling or cutting fresh veggies or fruit from the ground or tree. This year around my house there are figs, limes and feijoas. Potatoes, courgettes, beetroot, silverbeet, cabbages, broccoli and cauliflower. Plus some fresh herbs - mint, rosemary, basil, chives, parsley and coriander.

Taking photos is something that I've done ever since I got my first point and shoot camera when I was nine. It was red and so so special to me. Going to pick up the developed photos was always so exciting as I could see how the pictures turned out. When I was 16 and digital photography was starting to come in I swore black and blue that I would never use a digital camera. Those grainy pictures coming out of 1 mega pixel cameras were no comparison to film photos! How times have changed.

I like to talk and to listen. Rarely am I not up for a conversation with someone. This includes laughing with people too.

Take me out into the country on a clear night and I'm one happy girl. Stars are amazing. They remind me about God and how amazing and creative he is. What beautiful things he has given us to light the dark night sky.

Travel. This is a big one. There are so many parts that excite me. The adventure, the unknown. New foods and culture. New places and people to see. Also seeing old faces that are separated by oceans.

I love cooking and baking.

27.2.13

My World Tour

Back in 1999 when I was 13 or 14 I wrote a list in my diary and called it 'My World Tour'. It has 86 places, mainly countries or states that I obviously was planning on visiting in my life. I am so glad I found it last summer. Some of the places that made it onto my list I have been to! Some I still want to visit and others I'm surprised made it on the list in the first place.

Start Auckland - NZ
1) Fiji                  2003, 2008, 2010, 2012
2) Vanuatu
3) Australia         2001, 2006
4) Philippines      2008/9, 2011
5) Thailand          2010
6) India                2009/10
7) Nepal
8) Hong Kong
9) Japan
10) Moscow
11) Germany
12) UK
13) Ireland
14) Belgium
15) Austria
16) France
17) Switzerland
18) Spain
19) Italy
20) Greece
21) Cyprus
22) Israel
23) Jordan
24) Egypt
25) Ethiopia
26) Swaziland
27) Lesotho
28) South Africa
29) Botswana
30) Zambia
31) Zaire
32) Congo
34) Chad
35) Ghana
36) Eritrea
37) Mali
38) Sierra Leone
39) Ivory Coast
40) Morocco
41) Iceland
42) Greenland
43) Prince Edward Island
44) Quebec
45) Ontario
46) Manitoba
47) Yukon
48) Alaska
49) British Columbia
50) California               2003, 2004
51) Nevada
52) Arizona
53) Colorado
54) Oklahoma
55) Michigan               2011
56) Illinois                   2011
57) Missouri
58) Florida
59) Louisiana
60) Maryland
61) New Jersey          2003
62) Massachusetts     2003
63) Mexico
64) Bahamas
65) Panama
66) Barbados
67) Venezuela
68) Colombia
69) Brazil
70) Peru
80) Argentina
81) Chile
82) Hawaii
83) Samoa                2009, 2011
84) Artic
85) Antartica
86) Home again to Auckland

So now that I look closely I have used some rather creative numbering at a couple of points so there aren't actually 86 places there but close enough! I was tempted to leave my spelling the same but some of it was a little interesting.

I've obviously had the travel bug for a while.

31.1.13

Oh that's right...

... I have a blog.

I should probably get back into writing on here. I must have maxed out in 2011 with the 'Photo a day' thing. It's been over a year since I even logged on!

Watch this space!

7.1.12

All over

I looked at my camera yesterday and for a moment thought, oh great what am I going to take a picture of today! But it's over! Feeling bittersweet about it. It's cool to have a record of my year in photos though. There are 1 or 2 cheats in there! A couple of days filled in with random photos and a couple from Ainsley too. When I look back to that first photo of Alastair and I on New Years Day it's hard to believe that was a year ago. So much has happened and changed in this past year. I've moved house 3 times and been overseas 3 times and made some pretty big decisions about what I'm doing in 2012.

I was thinking last night about the whole new years resolution thing. Not something I really do, except for 2011 and taking a photo every day for a year (which showed me I can stick to something when I want to...hmmm). Well anyway I read 1 Corinthians 12 & 13 and really felt challenged to work on the different ways love is described in 1 Cor 13:1-7. I say that I love God and that I love different people around me but I know that when I read the things in that passage about patience and pride and selflessness and how they are what love is... eek, those things don't come easily for me. So this year I really want to work on those things. The underlying things that make love love.

29.10.14

31.8.13

23.3.13

20.3.13

27.2.13

31.1.13

7.1.12

5.1.12

19.12.11

15.12.11

13.12.11

12.12.11

4.12.11

29.11.11