We're home owners!

This afternoon I received the news that we are now the official owners of this comfortable and spacious residence with a very neglected garden! We've been living here for a year, but it is still exciting to become the owners.

If we don't go to South Africa next month we'll have plenty to do improving our garden before Dave starts work as a CSIRO post-Doc in September. Our travel plans are still on hold - decision pending - as there was an issue with Dave's working visa application and it now won't come through for at least a month. We don't want Dave to be refused re-entry to Australia, so we are checking out the stipulations of his current bridging visa.

July should be a perpetual month of thankfulness for us: Dave has handed in his PhD (yay!), Dave signed a contract for a job (Yay!) and we have bought a home. Maybe we'll create a yearly family celebration of God's provision. What an ideal time to remember that God is alive and at work on our behalf: in the middle of winter, when all is cold and dark!

Yum, yum the Ghanan way

Our Somalia prayer night went well. It is cruel of me to take pictures of people while they're eating, but I couldn't resist as we were eating with our hands! I was making a lot of excuses for various lacks on Saturday night, and one of those lacks was cutlery. I didn't put any out because after all, are we sure they have cutlery in Somalia? Some people chose to find their own, but some of us tackled it with our fingers. I enjoyed eating this way! Oh, and do you think Somalis have lots of soft drink or juice? No, no, they would be lucky to have water. Coffee? No, no. I got tripped up on that one, as friends quickly pointed out that Africa is the place for coffee!

Our dinner was Ghana style rice and beans as I could not find any recipes for Somali food. I thought it was delicious! It would be a great way to use up leftover this and that, which can be added as toppings. It would also be yummy in summer with garden produce - freshly sliced corn kernels, tomatoes, and zucchini. As one of my nephews would say: yum, yum. We can learn a lot from Africans about how to cook yummy, cheap food for lots of people.

Ready for Courtship?

Before even thinking about courting or dating, men and women ought to know what they believe God says about marriage. The goal of courtship is to make a decision about whether or not to marry a particular person. Knowing what God says brings clarity and helps couples to build on a solid foundation. Readiness for marriage, and therefore for courtship, could be defined as a willingness to commit to living out God’s purposes. Here are some of the reasons God created marriage:

* A man needs a helper in his dominion (or creation) mandate. The dominion mandate is linked to having kids, which a man can’t do alone (Genesis 1:28). As well as this, a wife is to be her husband's primary helper in every way she can.

* God wants human beings to have companionship (Genesis 2:18).

* God instituted marriage because “He seeks godly offspring” (Malachi 2:15).

* Marriage is the relationship in which to enjoy sex and romance (Song of Songs).

* Marriage fulfils sexual desire lawfully (1 Corinthians 7).


* Couples can minister together and open their home for hospitality and other church activities. The New Testament records couples doing this.

* Marriage displays Christ’s relationship with His church (Ephesians 5).

The Bible also makes role distinctions within marriage. Men are to lead, and carry the responsibility before God for the spiritual welfare of their wives and households. Women are to submit to this leadership. Men have the main responsibility before God for financial provision. Women have the main responsibility for day-to-day childcare and domestic concerns. You may not agree with all my conclusions here, but the important thing is to search the scriptures and come to decisions about what you do believe is God’s will.

Planning my priorities

Those of you who are familiar with Biblical Womanhood blog will know that Crystal is into planning. Due to her cyber-influence, I made up my own planning method. Rather than having daily goals, I only have a weekly goal chart. I write out goals in specific areas:

• Seeking God - praise, prayer, and Bible
• Study and skill development - education, household, and other
• Loving others
• Homemaking and personal

As each goal is completed, I colour it in, which gives a sense of achievement!


I have found that this chart helps me to think about my most important life priorities right now. It helps to turn good thoughts or intentions into actions. I've learnt more hymns since beginning this than I have for years!

I keep the sheet in a plastic sleeve except when I'm writing a new goal or colouring a completed one. If it doesn't seem like I'll have time to complete an idea/request this week, I write in the "next week?" section at the bottom. You'll also notice all the blank space on my chart - at times I even cross out part of one section if I absolutely have to focus on other goals that week.

At the bottom there are two "big questions" from Crystal's blog:

Does this glorify God and honour my husband?
Will this matter in eternity?

I don't always know the answers, but just asking the questions helps keep things in perspective.

Courtship matters

Two years ago I shared my thoughts about courtship and marriage in this ridiculously long post. Back then I was single. Now that Dave and I have been married nearly a year, I’d like to revisit the topic in a series of posts. Some of the “courtship matters” posts will be revisions of my old “On marriage” post, and there will also be new material.

Why bother?

Courtship matters. The decisions that are made about romantic relationships prior to marriage have an effect upon the rest of your life.

Marriage matters. In the chapter subsequent to the Creation Mandate, God told us that the man needed a helper. He could not complete his mandate alone. Husbands and wives are co-labourers in taking godly dominion over the earth.

Trusting God matters. We can’t do this alone. Marriage is important to God, and it is something Christians should aspire to if they are not called to singleness. However, honouring and knowing God is the greatest goal.

What next . . .

Dave and I are in a busy and stressful time of our lives. To give you an idea . . .

• Dave has been working on a PhD thesis about trees for over three years, and has just flown to Melbourne to submit it! He'll be back on Friday.
  
• Dave preached on Luke 12 at our church last night.
• We're finalising the purchase of our home this week. We're buying the house we've been renting for a year.
• Dave is in the process of gaining a temporary working visa to replace his student visa, which expires two weeks after PhD submission.
• We booked our flights to South Africa on Friday last week, and we are planning to leave on Monday next week! If all goes to plan and Dave and I will be there for three weeks, providing Dave's visa is granted so he can re-enter Australia.

Everday things continue also . . . my assignments, housework, meetings (Choices of Life at my place 1:30 Wed!), people and more people!

We'll need a holiday after all this, won't we?

Slowing down

I have made a lot of progress with my hand patchwork since I started. These are all the completed blocks laid out on a blanket.

One of the reasons Dave loves my patchwork is that it helps me to slow down and sit a while doing something peaceful.

Tonight I read a prayer in a precious handmade book of quotes and pictures a friend gave me a couple of Christmases ago:

In the name of Jesus Christ, who was never in a hurry, we pray, O God, that you will slow us down, for we know that we live too fast. With all of eternity before us, make us take time to live - time to get acquainted with You, time to enjoy Your blessings, and time to know each other. Peter Marshall.

How desperately I need that, especially at a time when I've been fighting a lot of negative and/or sinful emotions and often feel stressed. For me, right now, quietly sitting and stitching is a God-send. So I'm off to sit with my honey and stitch!