Little ones

There have been some little ones at our house recently . . .


Esther came to stay the night. We had fun together including making alphabet cookies, working on her alphabet scrapbook, making pizza, and going for a walk.


Janelle has also been letting me have the really little ones . . .


Jeriah and Caleb now come to visit on their own when Janelle has activities she needs to do with Esther. Such charming little men they are too :).

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The Creation Mandate is affirmed throughout the Bible

Jeremiah 29: 5 – 7 is interesting in the context of the Creation or Dominion Mandate God gave to the first man and woman in Genesis.

Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters – that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it, for in its peace you will have peace.

This passage seems similar in intent to what God told mankind to do in Genesis: rule your immediate surroundings well, tend the ground, and have children. God knows that these are the ordinary things of life, but he deems them important and desires that his people do them even when they are in difficult circumstances. This is also assumed in the New Testament, although not stated explicitly in a single passage.

God’s people are commanded to work hard. Titus 3:14 says “And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.” Paul made himself an example of hard work when he stated that he and his companions “worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you” (2 Thessalonians 3:8).

Childbearing and rearing is encouraged, commanded, and assumed in various passages (see Titus 2:4, 1 Timothy 3: 4, 1 Timothy 5:10 & 14, Colossians 4:21, Ephesians 6:1 – 2). One qualification a widow being supported by the church is “if she has brought up children” (1 Timothy 5:10). An elder is to be “one who rules his own house well, having his children under submission with all reverence” (1 Timothy 3:4). Parenting is obviously valued as a good and important work.

Jesus’ death and resurrection did not nullify the Creation Mandate. Even though we know that the most important realities are eternal ones, the "earthy" Creation Mandate is not abandoned. Rather, it is basic to living daily life as a Christian. We are to work hard and to rule our immediate surroundings with skill and dedication. We are to bear children and bring them up to know Christ. Our daily, ordinary work now also has eternal significance in that it speaks of the God we serve and points people to him.

But we urge you brethren that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing. 1 Thessalonians 4:10b – 12.

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The Kitchen Gardener

In Australia, we have just entered the second month of autumn. This season and the cold winter that follows are a great time to begin thinking about the vegetables you could plant in the spring! If you would like to begin a garden in the spring, or learn more about the garden you already have, The Kitchen Gardener is a great resource.

The Kitchen Gardener by Julian Matthews is packed full of colour pictures and inspiration. It includes a beautiful section on potager gardens, which are designed to be both ornamental and edible! It also contains a section about growing vegetables and herbs in pots, titled “No garden? No problem”. General information about soils and sowing and a “Garden diary” of when to plant are other features. My favourite section of the book is the A-Z guide to vegetable growing. Each vegetable is given a double page spread that includes pictures and information about its nutritional value, suitability for pots, soil needs, seed raising, sowing, spacing, pests and diseases it may be susceptible to, and harvesting.

This book will provide all you need to start out on your adventure in vegetable gardening, and plenty of new ideas to keep you going! In Tasmania, April brings colder weather. We have planted some seeds in the garden: rocket, lettuce, carrots, chives, and beetroot. This is a bit of an experiment to see if they will grow over winter. The climate is mild enough, as it rarely snows in non-mountainous regions. When it becomes too cold to plant anything I intend to spend some extra time studying up on what we can do in the spring.

Happy gardening!

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Nothing to do at home? Think again . . .

If you think there is nothing to do at home when you don't have kids, allow Crystal to challenge you to think again about the worth of the home as a center for ministry, productivity, outreach, and evangelism. A wife is first of all called to be her husband's helper and that is a big job in itself! As one elderly minister's wife once said to me (paraphrased) "Often when wives work, their husbands are the ones that suffer. A lot of women will give up work for their children, but not for their husband. I don't think that is biblical at all, because biblically the husband comes before the children". Of course, many women have very healthy marriages and some level of paid employment at the same time! However, the fact remains that there is an abundance to do at home and a childless woman can often be the best help to her husband through her work there.

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Please pray for Kristy

I was so sad yesterday when I discovered from Crystal's blog that Kristy's husband has died. They had only been married since January. I can't imagine how hard this must be for Kristy. Please pray for her as she walks through this very black valley. As God's people we are called to "weep with those who weep". The least we can do is to uphold Kristy in prayer.

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I’m sorry, even a nanny state can’t do it all

Australia’s indigenous population faces many challenges. Some of these are disadvantages created through systematic government policy over many decades, including dispossession, genocide, and removal of children. Others are a result of the choices of indigenous people, in response to “white culture” and to traditional practices. In recent years there has been a revival of concern about past abuses. This culminated in an apology to indigenous Australians.

Indigenous people, sampled as a group, are likely to live 17 years less than other Australians. This has been called a “national shame”. Christopher Pearson’s article in The Weekend Australian, “Nanny’s unhealthy regard”, slams this idea. Pearson rightly points out that smoking, alcohol abuse, and poor nutrition are matters of personal choice.

“The first thing to note is that these are all matters of individual choice rather than anything that could remotely be considered an occasion of national disgrace.

“In a pluralist society, the nanny state can deplore people’s lifestyle choices but Aborigines are as entitled as the white proletariat to tell nanny to mind her own business.”

Australians are right to be ashamed of the actions of some of their ancestors. At times with good motives, at times with evil ones, many settlers and government officials of the past abused the indigenous people of Australia. Responsibility must be taken. At the same time, modern Australians must be realistic about the contribution that the choices of indigenous people make to their disadvantage. I’m sorry, but the nanny state can’t make up for that.

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Zimbabwe's election

I am eagerly watching the Zimbabwean elections, hoping for a change in government there. The situation is truly tragic. Since Zimbabwe borders on South African, my husband's homeland, we have a special interest in the country. If Zimbabwe could improve, this could reduce the refugee problem in South Africa. If the land grab in Zimbabwe can be recognised as mismanaged and unwise, it may reduce the likelihood of similar events occurring someday in South Africa. If proper democratic procedures can be observed in Zimbabwe, it will give us greater hope that South Africa can continue to have an orderly and non-dictatorial government.

You can read the comments of one Zimbabwean on the country at BBC World News. I found her response to questions interesting, especially this one . . .

Q: What is wrong with our African leaders - especially the so-called liberators?

Jeffery Sebunya, Kampala, Uganda

This is a difficult one. I guess we the public feel we owe them for our freedom, and we tend to worship them instead of viewing them as mere political leaders who are answerable to us. We watch and stay silent as they amend constitutions to give themselves more and more power until the country becomes a fiefdom. So it's not entirely the leaders' fault, we also contribute by staying silent when we should speak out.

The writer also gave honour to God - how wonderful! Will you join us in praying for Africa?

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