Fading Summer Days

In just two days summer will be over. I am praising God for a summer filled with fun, family, joy, peace, friends, books, warm days and cold ones, flowers, green rippling leaves, opportunities, accomplishments, the fulfillment of dreams, the unexpected, and of course the inevitable trials. The trees at the start of the highway are already reminding me that autumn is coming, as they gradually change to golden. Here are a few pictures and memories of my summer:

Flowers in Sydney . . .


The abundant harvest of many fruits and vegetables: berries, cherries, zucchini, carrots, plums, apples, lettuce, and more. Here Mum, Dad, and my older brother are picking berries . . .


Cousins meeting, all three of them together for the first time . . .


My garden filled with odd flowers I do not know the names of, grown from a packet mix . . .


Esther blessing us with her laughter, and her rapidly progressing speech. She can say Sherrin clearly now. This afternoon she kept calling, come Sherrin, Sherrin come . . .


Autumn is one of my favourite seasons, although I can never rate them as they are all special. I look forward to continuing on with the Lord, the one who created seasons.

While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and Heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night
Shall not cease.
Genesis 8:22

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Compelled to Collect

I do not care to collect ornaments, mugs, shoes, or silverware, lovely as these may be. What I do collect is information.

At times this frustrates me. Usually on days like today, when the pile of newspaper clippings, articles, and magazines on my piano or table or bookcase gets too much and I decide it must be organised. It is frustrating to allocate things to their different subjects, then put them in plastic sleeves, then put them in their ring binders. I collect information on politics, history, writing (including all my articles in various publications), feminism, modesty, women balancing (or not balancing) work at home and paid work outside it, marriage and divorce, children, decorating, the Bible, creation, hospitality, and health. I have two fat ring binders on pro-life issues, from birth control through to euthanasia. To make it all worse (or better?) I have recently begun collecting on mental health. I question whether it is all useful. It was when I wrote an article for the university magazine on "Why Feminism has gone too far". Mostly though, I never read the folders. I am just compelled to keep filling and multiplying them.

The second sphere of my information collection was started much earlier in my life, and inherited from my mother: book multiplication! I began with one bookshelf in my room, now I have three. Perhaps one day I can have my own mini-library in a special room!

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When to Speak?

There are many situations, and many people, who confront me with ideas or actions that I do not agree with. Recently I have been considering the questions such as: "When is it wrong to be silent?", "What are good motives for remaining silent?", "When is it my duty to speak?". Those who know me may find it hard to believe that I often choose not to speak up, but it is true nonetheless!

Two areas I always try to speak on, if confronted with them, are the gospel and abortion. I consider it a duty of love, or a moral imperitive, to speak truth on these topics. The eternal souls of people, and the lives of the innocent, are more imporant than my comfort zones. Sometimes I have talked too much about life issues like abortion. There is a balance here, which I pray God will help me achieve. It is harmful to go on about things too much, but if someone does raise the topic it is important to speak truth.

In many other areas, I wonder if my failure to speak is simply selfishness. When an opponent of predestination asked me if I believed it, I told him he'd have to work it out for himself. Was this a choice not to get into a bothersome conflict, considering only my own peace of mind? Or was it a realisation that considering my own experience of vehmently rejecting predestination and then embracing it as Biblical, this topic is best left up to the work of the Holy Spirit?

When a lady declared to me that a wife's duty to submit to her husband was not a biblical teaching, was my choice to simply say "I don't hold that view, but I understand your perspective" diplomatic or a failure to defend God's word? Perhaps it was both.

There are matters that are less important than others, and we do need to choose our battles. The Scriptures have nothing positive to say about quarrelsome people. Yet our motives for avoiding battle need to be considered. Personal comfort is not a worthy one.

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Midlands Journeying

In the past several weeks I have gone up and down the Midlands highway more ever before, and this afternoon I leave again. On each journey I see this unique hay creation. On my journeys I have been listening to the Vision Forum Faith and Freedom tour CDs. I bought both Jamestown to Jubilee and
Landmarks and Liberty at a half price sale. I have not regretted it! It is really a cheap way to satisfy my passion for American history, when you consider other options (like going on a Faith and Freedom tour in person)! It is exciting to be able to learn about history from a Christian perspective. Topics covered include the significance of Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower journey, Plimoth Plantation, how the Salem Witch Trials resulted from ignoring Biblical law (not from following it), the founding fathers, and the Jamestown settlement. I look forward to my bus trips, despite the pain and discomfort, because I get to listen to these for hours. I will finish them soon, but maybe I could listen to them all again!

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Gods and Generals

I recently arrived home from my friends the Downes' where I watched a DVD I have wanted to see for two and a half years, since hearing about it while visiting the USA. Gods and Generals fulfilled all the expectations I had of it after hearing others' recommendations.

I have had a fascination with US history since visiting there, and the Civil War particularly interests me. So watching nearly four hours about it was no chore. This movie is tragic in the extreme, but I also found it strangely comforting. The Civil War is deeply complex, and still arouses strong regional loyalties. I have read books and websites about it, and had numerous conversations. While most people assume it was all about slavery, that was not an issue until half way through. Nor are charicatures of southerners as racists and northerners as liberators accurate. General Grant, commander of the Union forces, held slaves throughout the war. Lincoln was a racist who wanted to send all the Africans back to their country. Southern General Robert E. Lee wrote "So far from engaging in a war to perpetuate slavery, I am rejoiced that slavery is abolished. I believe it will be greatly for the interests ofthe South. So fully am I satisfied of this, as regards Virginia especially, that I would cheerfully have lost all I have by the war, and have suffered all I have suffered, to have this object attained." Lee had freed his slaves before the war.

The reason I find this movie comforting is not becuase it gives answers to the complexities that underlie the war. It does not, although it does clearly show why both sides fought. Southerners felt strong regional loyalties to their states, believed they had a right to leave the union, and felt it their duty to fight for their "country" which was being invaded. Northerners wanted to preserve the union through forcing the south to remain part of it. Later on, some fought to abolish slavery.

I find this movie comforting becuase it portrays the deep faith of southern commanders in God's will. The war was surely his will, and so was its outcome. The movie focused on southern commander Stonewall Jackson, and his trust in God's providence. He trusted God for the timing and place of his death. My favourite quote is "Duty is ours, the consequences are God's".

I shed only a single tear during the whole movie: in Stonewall Jackson's death scene, where he spoke of crossing the river to be at rest. I trust that some day we will see him there.

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My quilt

It was exciting to complete my quilt top last weekend. I began it soon after completing my Bachelor of Arts last year. Exam time was a real struggle. My escape was to get books out from the library about patchwork, which I let myself read or glance in between huge amounts of study. It was not sensible to begin a new hobby, especially with several unfinished projects around the house. My heart is not sensible though, and it was set on making a quilt! I chose an autumn theme, because I love that season. I began when autumn leaves were still on one of our trees. I took the leaves and traced around them to make templates.


I have now completed the patchwork part of it, and hope to being quilting soon. First I have to work out the process of pinning the layers together. I am planning to hand quilt leaves onto it, so the work is no where near finished yet!


Each large block has a scripture verse or two sewn on, and each tiny leaf block has an attribute or name of God. The tiny leaves are from the same tree in Spring.

Creating this has made me think about how much harder it would have been for women pre-sewing machines. I realise how hard they worked more fully now.

In between making the quilt top, I have even completed one of my unfinished projects! This one had been left since I was homeschooled - pre 1997. Esther's Birthday was the inspiration to complete "Tilly Bear".

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Bible Memory - A Joy

Yvonne wrote in the comments section of my “Bible Memory” post:

"As always you have inspired me to get into bible memorisation again -it is actually a joy to do it with a favourite piece of the bible. I've started on psalm 103, one of my favourites.... I think it's a lot easier with passages that are already familiar. I'd love to have more scripture floating through my mind throughout the day!"

I recommend putting into action Yvonne’s tip for making Bible memorisation a joy. If you have a part of the Bible that is particularly relevant to your life at this time, or that “jumps” out at you as you read and seems alive to your heart in a special way, start memorising that.

This was one reason I began Psalm 37. When I looked at the way damaging agendas were achieving victories in politics, education, the family, and other areas, it worried me. Psalm 37 reminded me that such victories are short lived, because ultimately all the agendas of those who oppose God will come to nothing. This Psalm also repeated several times that God’s people were not to fret when evil seemed to triumph. How meaningful that was to my worried heart! This Psalm continues to be a comfort to me as I face current events.

As you begin committing scripture to memory, you will likely find it such a joy that you will long to memorise more! That is what happened to me. Now when I read the Bible I am always coming across passages I would love to have available in my mind at any moment.

A key to making Bible memory a joy is review. If you do not review the scriptures you have learnt, you will forget them. Then you may become discouraged. However, if you review them you are continually encouraged as you realise how you have progressed in memorising. This is why I find the system of cards with the verse reference on one side and the verses on the other to be helpful. I can look at the reference, review the passage in my mind, then flip over the card to see if I have remembered it correctly.

Ultimately, however, only God can make His word a joy. Pray, as you memorise, that the Holy Spirit will do this for you.

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Job: A Man of Heroic Endurance

Last year I read Charles Swindoll's Job: A Man of Heroic Endurance.

What I liked:

Swindoll was uncompromising in his explanation of the sovereignty of God. He made no attempt to explain away God's involvement in sending us difficulty, but instead encouraged readers to embrace the truth of God's sovereignty in doing so.

Swindoll argued that in Job 12, Job is declaring: "The God I serve takes delight in undoing human activities and in dismantling human enterprises, and in the process, executing His miraculous undertakings."

On the effects of suffering, Swindoll used a good quote from an unknown source: "Pain plants the flag of reality in the fortress of a rebel heart." God did that in my life.

Swindoll also wrote that any nurse can tell you that "tact fades as pain progresses . . . the continuation of anguish that finally wears the soul down to raw, red reality." People say I lack tact, so maybe that is what happened to me after my car accident. I'd better not use it as an excuse though!

Swindoll is also good on the importance of theology: "Sound theology provides a foundation like nothing else . . . Be careful that you never substitute psychological gobbledygook for good theology. Work hard at not weakening your theology by double talk."

He defines endurance and wisdom well:

Endurance is "a long obedience in the same direction."

Wisdom is "looking at life from God's point of view."

"That is why it's so valuable to think God's thoughts after Him. You look at difficulties and tests as God looks at them."

Trouble can be viewed either as "an intrusion, an outrage" or as "an opportunity to respond in specific obedience to God's will."

What I did not like:

The style is chatty and Swindoll takes a long time to make his points. He goes over the story of Job many times.

Swindoll appeared to condone divorce in situations that are not Biblical.

Swindoll treated children rebelling against their parents as an ordinary and expected part of life. He wrote that it was a "stage", and reinforced stereotypical low expectations of teenagers. The Rebelution (linked to in my sidebar) challenges such expectations. Rebellion against parents is no more an acceptable "stage" for Christians than a "stage" of adultery, stealing, or lying.

Our cultural acceptance of rebellious children is also one reasons most modern Christians do not view having many children as a blessing. God gave Job 10 children as a blessing following his devastating losses. With current expectations of the outcome of childrearing, modern Christians are more likely to think that a curse.

God recently showed me how severely rebellion against my parents damaged my life. Before I knew Him, my disregard of my parent's instruction was a key reason for involvement in other sins. Any young adult who disregards parental instruction opens him or herself up to numerous dangers.

In His grace, God has made provision for all our sins through placing the punishment for them upon His Son Jesus. Our response needs to be confession, not accomodation, of the sins that caused His sacrifice.

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Orange Muffin Delight

This is my favourite muffin recipe. It seems to be popular with those who eat it too. My Aunty Val said they were the best muffins she had ever eaten. Since then I have given her several more containers of them, so I hope she still feels that way. The recipe makes a lot, so it is ideal for a family or a social gathering. I received this recipe from friends in Virginia, who included it in a family magazine they used to make (called Sophia). I am reminded of the enjoyment and refreshment their magazine brought, each time I make this recipe!

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cup oat bran (or ground oats)
3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup flaxseed (I blend this so it is not so sharp!)
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
2tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded carrot
2 cups copped Granny Smith apple
1 cup raisins
1 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large egg whites (or 2 eggs)
1 thin-skinned orange (cut into quarters with peel still on)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Combine the flours (do not pack) and the next 7 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in carrot, apple, and raisins. In a blender or food processor combine the milk, oil, vanilla, egg whites, and whole orange (peel and all). Blend until smooth. Add to flour mixture and stir until just moist.

Bake for 20 minutes or until done, then remove to wire racks immediately. Yields 28 muffins.

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Feminism's Failure

I recently read part of a biography about an early Australian feminist, Vida Goldstein. I have a long running facination with feminism brought on through attending a university where it seemed to be included in every second class. They thought feminism was fabulous, the liberator of women, etc. I disagreed, and still do. Partly in reaction to what I was taught at university, I strongly oppose most of what they promote.

Here is a quote from the biography, which illustrates the failure of feminism:

“Vida never reconciled the contradictory notions that women would contribute special qualities to the public sphere and that men and women were equal and should be treated equally. There is always the sense that she thought ‘men and women are equal, but women are a bit more equal because they have finer qualities of spirituality and higher-mindedness than men’. It is an appealing philosophy – for women – which is still propounded today: that women will bring the special qualities of nurturing, gentleness, and respect for life into the public sphere."

The promise of feminism simply does not deliver. It would be amusingly ironic, if it was not so sad, that feminism has done the opposite of what proponents originally argued for. Rather than bringing respect for life to the public sphere, women campaign for more ways to terminate pregnancy. This week the Australian Senate approved the transferral of authority for the abortion drug RU486 to an unelected authority, the Theraputic Goods Administration (TGA). If the House of Representatives does not vote down this measure, ministerial accountability for the drug will no longer exist. The TGA has said they plan to approve the drug for importation if authority is passed to them.

Women politicians pushed for this law change. They were the driving force behind it. Australian women were polled about the drug. When told of its dangers in comparison to surgical abortion they did not want it imported.

Feminism promised to give us women who spoke for women, who representated women's interests. Instead, feminist politicans believe women must suppress their own biology in order to be liberated. To them, women must be able to eliminate their babies in order to live as men do. Women's central contribution throughout history, of bearing and raising children, is seen as a threat to their destiny.

Such a philosophy is not pro-woman. Feminist politicians who advocate it do not represent the interests of women, and they will never speak for me.

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Tis the Season to be Wedded . . .

I attended one wedding on 3 December, one on 14 January, and another on 4 February. It is wedding season again.

The last wedding I went to included a reception at the bride's parents' house near a beach. Guests were encouraged to bring mats or chairs and sit on the lawn.

The bride and groom.

Kerri and Yvonne enjoying the unusual event of warm water in Tasmania.

After last week's picture of Yvonne, it seemed a good idea to put up a "sensible" picture of her on my blog as well!

At the reception, about seven different ice cream flavours were available in either a cone or a cup. There was also sandwiches and fruit salad. It was fun to participate in this unusual reception. It seemed like a celebration of the personalities of the couple, as well as their life long committment to each other!

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Taronga Zoo

Here are some pictures of my visit to Sydney's Taronga Zoo last month. My aunt has visited many zoos around the world, and she thinks it is the best! It certainly has the best views, as these pictures show.


Can you spy the animal in the picture above?



This seal decided to do a show as I walked past. Doesn't he look good against that backdrop? Answers in Genesis has a good article about seals.



The orangutan is a facinating animal with legs that seem too short, and strange folds making up its face. It had been resting under a sack on a high wooden perch, and I spied it when I took the chair lift above the zoo to get to the top entrance. Later on when I walked past, it decided to swing back and forth along the ropes. Yay!

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Busy School Days

Last week I began my new job in Launceston, three hours from home. It is an answer to prayer that I have a job. I am also thanking God for a place to board, with a lovely elderly lady from the presbyterian church. I only need to be here three nights a week, but I will spend some weekends as otherwise there is too much travelling. My job is three days a week, which is what I wanted. I work with Prep students (5 year olds) as a teacher's aid every day, and also care for Kindergarten students (4 year olds) on two afternoons. There are only 3 Prep students at the moment - all girls. I may soon have two boys as well. There are 4 Kindergarten students, three girls and one boy.

In my first week, my most pressing questions seemed to be "how do I get them to keep their shoes on" and "how do I get them to make less noise". Deep, I know.

On Thursday three children cried, one twice. Two other children were seriously upset. I know, I am scary. I haven't cried once yet though - at least not at school. Today was unusual: no one cried. At least, not that I remember.

I am grateful for a sense of humour. Mum, Dad, and I laughed about my experiences for about half an hour when I got home last Thursday night. Things have been better since I instituted a reward system based on keeping five shiny, laminated cardboard apples on your cardboard apple tree. Apples get removed if you break the rules. If you keep all your apples all day, you get a big shiny, laminated apple to put on your tree. If you get three such apples, you get a special treat.

One child in my class can recite a paraphrase of the 10 commandments, so I'm having her teach the others. No doubt I'll remember them better because of her, too! She also says great prayers. All the children are very excited about praying, and eagerly volunteer every time I ask.

We have been learning the sounds of the letter A, how to write A and a, how to do what "Teacher" says, how to remember that "Teacher" is called "Miss Ward", etc. Everyone is still settling in - me included!

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Bible Memory

Since last year, I have been committed to memorizing scripture. This is one of the best things I have ever chosen to do in my devotional life. I write scriptures on cards and keep them in a box, arranged alphabetically according to the name of the book they are from. This is good for review. It is also good if you are travelling, because you can choose a letter of the alphabet, put a rubber band around those cards, and take them with you. Just be careful you dond't leave them on a plane like I did after a turbulent flight into Melbourne last week! It was one of my thickest collections of cards too - all the Psalms I have chosen to memorize! So this morning I wrote out Psalm one and two on cards again, and I still have several more to go!

Even if you find that you can't remember all that you want or you work on passage for months and don't remember it all, you will have done your heart, mind and soul an immense amount of good just through meditating on the word while trying to memorize it.

The Rebelution has a great post on the value of Bible memorization. Do Hard Things: Scripture Memorization is a challenge to work at this area of devotion. The comments section is also valuable as several people have given recommendations on how to memorize.

"For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her" Proverbs 8: 11. Commit some time to memorizing God's wisdom.

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Solo Femininity

When I took this photo of Yvonne I thought it seemed like a funny imitation of Carolyn McCulley's photo on Solo Femininity. Yvonne didn't mean it that way, since she has never seen Carolyn's wesite. Yvonne was just trying to hide.

Seriously though, Carolyn's weblog is a good one to check out. Her writing has been helpful to me as a single woman, since I discovered some of her articles a couple of years ago. I have not had time to explore her weblog much yet. Liberated From Feminism: The Personal Testimony of Carolyn McCulley is the article that influenced me most. This article explains how many of God's commands to young married women can also apply to single women. Even as an unmarried woman, I need to develop a love for home, a love for children, good works, self control, and other virtues married women need. A failure to make these priorities while single can mean they are not priorities during marriage either. It would be foolish to think you could suddenly enter a profession with no training, believing you could do a good job. It is equally foolish to make no effort to cultivate the traits married women need, and expect to suddenly be a godly wife one day.

As well as a link to a list of her articles, Carolyn's weblog covers many topics related to the Christian life. Many of these are of interest to all Christians, married or single, male or female. I love a recent post on Money, Greed, and Privacy. This reinforces my conviction that I am rich!

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