I got tagged with 2 green memes by Rach at Left of the Middle
I've never heard of these things before! But here we go:
1) Link to Green Meme Bloggers. (use image if you like)
2) Link back to whoever tagged you. (no need to wait to be tagged!)
3) Include meme number
4) Include these guidelines in your post
5) Tag 3 other green bloggers.
Im not tagging anyone - just doing it for fun
Here goes...
1) Name two motivations for being green?
Because all my friends are. No just kidding, because it is the way we are meant to be. Man has been out of harmony with the earth since money became more important than family, love, well being, wholesomeness, community, compassion ... you get the picture
I want to teach my kids more about harmony with the natural world, than consumeristic rape and pillage.
2) Name 2 eco-UNfriendly items you refuse to give up?
Well hubby loves to travel internationally when we can, and i just dont have the heart to oppose him. (You think i am joking again, but Im actually serious, I could happily give up o/s travel).
Plastic. I have tried living without it, but it is everywhere.... our clothes, cars, cooking pots even have plastic coatings.... I know what you are thinking - just give up plastic bags as a starter. Well I have given up some, and i wash and re-use the ones i use for fruit and vege shopping... but there are still plastic bags when you buy other stuff - we recently bought a new phone - each component was plastic wrapped.... So I have to confess that I am not willing to give up all those conveniences yet.
3) Are you at peace with or do you feel guilty about number 2?
Im assuming this is referring to kids. I am totally at peace. Australia is not facing a population crisis and so i dont see how my off spring add to the global crisis in this regard. If I lived in India then i would probably be feeling a little guilty?? Maybe
4) What are you willing to change but feel unable to/stuck with/unsure how to go about it?
Plastic!!
5) Do you know your carbon footprint for your home? If so, is it larger/smaller than your national average? (http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx)
No idea but i am doing what i can and am happy with that.
6) What's eco-frustrating and/or eco-fantastic about where you live?
Eco-frustrating - Our state govt is planning a desalination plant - crazy
Eco-fantastic - We live near the most beautiful pristine, unspoilt beach;
7) Do you eat local/organic/vegetarian/forage/grow your own?
I follow a Nourishing Traditions diet and we have our own suburban orchard and vege patch, as well as 8 adorable chooks that help with the gardening and give us eggs.
8) What do you personally find the most challenging in being green?
The constant battle to make change happen - from asking our green grocer to make a box of 3kg of oranges for us instead of the regular bags, to lobbying our govt to reuse rain water run off instead of desal.
9) Do you have a green confession?
I make way too many short trips to the shops because i am disorganised and forget stuff all the time.
10) Do you have the support of family and/or friends?
We are all a bunch of hippies - so yes.
------------------------------
Green meme #2
1. Do you use baking soda toothpaste or baking soda shampoo? If not, would you consider it?
I buy chemical free versions of both.
2. Do you make any home cleaning products?
Enjo does the trick at our house.
3. What is your top green issue at the moment?
Desalination!
4. Given unlimited cash, what is on your fantasy green wishlist?
Rain water tank for every house and outhouse in Adelaide to over come our water shortage issues.
5. Have you implemented any new green act/behaviour/product this month?
nope
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Little fingers
It is amazing to me the amount of uncomplicated trust a small child has in the ones around him/her.
My 18 month old neice shows me this everyday with her pudgy little hands.
Each morning we go for a walk together and Samantha confidently waddles along the road in front of me chattering away about dogs, cats, and cars that cross our path. She is proudly independent, happy to set the course for our walk, but whenever there comes a large pot hole or a patch of uneven ground that her tiny feet cant navigate, she simply raises her arm for me, trusting that i will take her hand.
She does not look up to see if I am available. She does not wonder if it is any inconvenience to me or if i will be willing to help her over these bumps. She does not look anywhere but the path before her. Her chubby little fingers rise above her head knowing i will be there. And as I take her up on her offer of trust - taking her little hand - there is a moment of wonder and joy that floods over me, knowing that it is me she has chosen to trust.
My 18 month old neice shows me this everyday with her pudgy little hands.
Each morning we go for a walk together and Samantha confidently waddles along the road in front of me chattering away about dogs, cats, and cars that cross our path. She is proudly independent, happy to set the course for our walk, but whenever there comes a large pot hole or a patch of uneven ground that her tiny feet cant navigate, she simply raises her arm for me, trusting that i will take her hand.
She does not look up to see if I am available. She does not wonder if it is any inconvenience to me or if i will be willing to help her over these bumps. She does not look anywhere but the path before her. Her chubby little fingers rise above her head knowing i will be there. And as I take her up on her offer of trust - taking her little hand - there is a moment of wonder and joy that floods over me, knowing that it is me she has chosen to trust.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Spring is sprung
This weekend we celebrated the first weekend of spring in a big way.
Mother nature really orchestrated a perfect setting for us to get the real spring feeling with a warm sunny day with a cool gentle breeze to make sure we didnt get too hot while we worked in the garden.
It is tradition in our family to have a bbq to celebrate the beginning of spring and so Saturday night David took Jordan under his wing and offered him his first initiation to manhood - learning the reverence for the bbq tongs. A serious matter, that Jordan showed a natural aptitude in.
Sunday, David and I got up early and went for a run/walk together (Im in training for the 5km Christmas frolic in 11 weeks). Once we arrived home I took the plunge on my new diet and tried the egg/coconut oil/butter and cinnamon drink that I am supposed to have for breakfast....it wasnt as bad a I thought it would be, maybe Ill even get used to it. LOL!!
We then all went outside and pulled out the winter weeds in the vege patches so we can plant some spring/summer veges in the warm soil.
Lunch time came and we all headed in to finish off the last of the winter stew that I had been cooking all morning. In the afternoon David helped Luke build a bird feeding platform and they both fixed it up in the tree. Last spring they put up a bird box (a very fancy one at that), and we now have some gloriously colourful parrots nesting up there (well atleast they are regular visitors - not sure if there is actually a nest in there yet??).
We all pitched in to make a special dinner for fathers day and sat around on the floor to eat our Indian feast together. Naan bread, dahl and home made samosa's - yum. Of course I couldnt eat any of it as Im currently grain free, so i chowed down on some left over stew.
I am feeling very satisfied with myself, sitting here right now. Winter is such a time of slothfulness and sometimes I forget that it is only a transient time of inactivity. I start to worry that I am sliding into laziness... but every spring the sun comes out and we are all charged with energy and enthusiasm again. Maybe one year I will learn that winter is just too cold for busyness and I will take my cue from the plants and animals to spend that time in contemplation instead of angst, waiting for the natural re-birthing of spring.
Mother nature really orchestrated a perfect setting for us to get the real spring feeling with a warm sunny day with a cool gentle breeze to make sure we didnt get too hot while we worked in the garden.
It is tradition in our family to have a bbq to celebrate the beginning of spring and so Saturday night David took Jordan under his wing and offered him his first initiation to manhood - learning the reverence for the bbq tongs. A serious matter, that Jordan showed a natural aptitude in.
Sunday, David and I got up early and went for a run/walk together (Im in training for the 5km Christmas frolic in 11 weeks). Once we arrived home I took the plunge on my new diet and tried the egg/coconut oil/butter and cinnamon drink that I am supposed to have for breakfast....it wasnt as bad a I thought it would be, maybe Ill even get used to it. LOL!!
We then all went outside and pulled out the winter weeds in the vege patches so we can plant some spring/summer veges in the warm soil.
Lunch time came and we all headed in to finish off the last of the winter stew that I had been cooking all morning. In the afternoon David helped Luke build a bird feeding platform and they both fixed it up in the tree. Last spring they put up a bird box (a very fancy one at that), and we now have some gloriously colourful parrots nesting up there (well atleast they are regular visitors - not sure if there is actually a nest in there yet??).
We all pitched in to make a special dinner for fathers day and sat around on the floor to eat our Indian feast together. Naan bread, dahl and home made samosa's - yum. Of course I couldnt eat any of it as Im currently grain free, so i chowed down on some left over stew.
I am feeling very satisfied with myself, sitting here right now. Winter is such a time of slothfulness and sometimes I forget that it is only a transient time of inactivity. I start to worry that I am sliding into laziness... but every spring the sun comes out and we are all charged with energy and enthusiasm again. Maybe one year I will learn that winter is just too cold for busyness and I will take my cue from the plants and animals to spend that time in contemplation instead of angst, waiting for the natural re-birthing of spring.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Kangaroo Kick boxing
Recently the boys and I went on a week long camping trip to the Flinders rangers with two other Homeschooling families.
I checked on the web before we left and set out with an optimistic goal of getting there within 4 hours. It was 10 am when we finally scampered out the door and I was looking forward to an easy drive, arriving in plenty of time to unpack our gear. Well instead of arriving at 2 as we had anticipated, we finally arrived (having gone the wrong way) at 4:30 and just got our tent up before the sun went down.
The camp site was right next to a large shallow dry creek, about 100m across, and full of old gum trees that had obviously been swept down stream in the last flood... which, from the under growth coming up in the creek bed, had been several years before. All this made for an incredible play space for our 9 boys. While we mothers cooked and chatted and laughed the boys raced around making up all manner of games and adventure quests in and on these falled trees.
Mostly our days were spent hiking, and our youngest member, Anthony - who is only 4, valiantly climbed the Rawsley Bluff trail with the rest of the kids. A 13km round trip up the side of a cliff. It was quite harrowing and while the sense of achievement was enjoyable, once back in the carpark, all the boys decided that is was not something they ever wanted to repeat! (However hiking must be a bit like childbirth because a few days later they were talking about doing the Rawsley Bluff next time they came to Wilpena Pound - LOL).
Our campsite was full of wildlife. Kangaroo's came in to our site for a pat and a feed, and one of the female Kangaroo's even allowed me to open her pouch so we could all see the furless joey growing in there. Luke of course grabbed his camera for a photo (which is posted on my facebook)
There were emu's and wild goats and we even saw a torquise, iridescent lizard sunbaking on a rock, during one of our walks. I didnt know that such a creature existed in Australia, so now we are trying to find out what type of lizard is was.
As wonderful as all this wildlife was, we did have a few kangaroo's that were more intent on our food than our company and on the first night I had a visitor in my tent in the wee-hours. I woke up to the sound of it rummaging around and climbed out through the zipper of our sleeping section to confront this univited guest.
Unfortunately, I have never met an aggressive kangaroo before and so I thought that a simple shoo-ing of him out of the tent would be sufficient to scare him off. This was not the case for a few reasons.
You see, firstly I was crouched down (having just wormed my way out through the zipper) when I announced my desire for him to vacate the premises and obviously he did not see me as any type of threat. Secondly he had somehow wriggle his way under the side of the fly in order to enter the tent and was in fact trapped with no immediate escape.
All this being the case our friendly kangaroo turned to see me crouching next to him, growling about his need to exit and he decided that he was up to the challenge. Just as I was rising to stand he reared onto his tail and proceeded to kick me (quite hard I might add!!) with both his feet, over and over and over again. I fell backwards onto the tent, where Luke was sleeping, collapsing that side of the contruction and sitting on Lukes feet. I turned my body away from the blows that were now coming at my ribs and thighs.
I remember thinking "Im down for the count man!! You can stop punching" but as my friend pointed out the next day - throught peels of histerical laughter - "Kangaroo's dont follow the boxing rules we humans have". I wasnt sure that he was going to stop without maming me and I called out to the boys for help... to no avail in their sleepy haze they both just kind of grunted at me (professing, the next morning, that they didnt actually realise what was going on)
Well eventually my fury friend decided that I had obviously gotten the message and returned to the box of food. By this stage I was less gun-hoe than I was at the beginning of our introduction, and I quietly leant forward to undo the zipper on the fly, thus allowing our visitor an exit point. I then stood up to my full height and holding the door open said in a pleading voice "Shoo, Shoo, out you go kangaroo".
Well his first reaction was to turn and grunt at me with the same aggrivation he had shown in our original encounter. But now that I was standing he gazed up at my full height and then quickly looked around for an exit, before bounding out. Phew!!
I rubbed some aloe vera on a wound that I had on my leg, and thanked God that I was up to date with my tetnus shots, before grabbing all the food boxes and loading them into the car.
The next morning I had a lovely bruise to show off in accompaniment to my story, and my girlfriends decided that it was one of the best stories they had heard in a long time - and one that must be repeated at every homeschool camp there after (along with the other wonderful tales that have been gathered over our years homeschooling adventures!!).
I checked on the web before we left and set out with an optimistic goal of getting there within 4 hours. It was 10 am when we finally scampered out the door and I was looking forward to an easy drive, arriving in plenty of time to unpack our gear. Well instead of arriving at 2 as we had anticipated, we finally arrived (having gone the wrong way) at 4:30 and just got our tent up before the sun went down.
The camp site was right next to a large shallow dry creek, about 100m across, and full of old gum trees that had obviously been swept down stream in the last flood... which, from the under growth coming up in the creek bed, had been several years before. All this made for an incredible play space for our 9 boys. While we mothers cooked and chatted and laughed the boys raced around making up all manner of games and adventure quests in and on these falled trees.
Mostly our days were spent hiking, and our youngest member, Anthony - who is only 4, valiantly climbed the Rawsley Bluff trail with the rest of the kids. A 13km round trip up the side of a cliff. It was quite harrowing and while the sense of achievement was enjoyable, once back in the carpark, all the boys decided that is was not something they ever wanted to repeat! (However hiking must be a bit like childbirth because a few days later they were talking about doing the Rawsley Bluff next time they came to Wilpena Pound - LOL).
Our campsite was full of wildlife. Kangaroo's came in to our site for a pat and a feed, and one of the female Kangaroo's even allowed me to open her pouch so we could all see the furless joey growing in there. Luke of course grabbed his camera for a photo (which is posted on my facebook)
There were emu's and wild goats and we even saw a torquise, iridescent lizard sunbaking on a rock, during one of our walks. I didnt know that such a creature existed in Australia, so now we are trying to find out what type of lizard is was.
As wonderful as all this wildlife was, we did have a few kangaroo's that were more intent on our food than our company and on the first night I had a visitor in my tent in the wee-hours. I woke up to the sound of it rummaging around and climbed out through the zipper of our sleeping section to confront this univited guest.
Unfortunately, I have never met an aggressive kangaroo before and so I thought that a simple shoo-ing of him out of the tent would be sufficient to scare him off. This was not the case for a few reasons.
You see, firstly I was crouched down (having just wormed my way out through the zipper) when I announced my desire for him to vacate the premises and obviously he did not see me as any type of threat. Secondly he had somehow wriggle his way under the side of the fly in order to enter the tent and was in fact trapped with no immediate escape.
All this being the case our friendly kangaroo turned to see me crouching next to him, growling about his need to exit and he decided that he was up to the challenge. Just as I was rising to stand he reared onto his tail and proceeded to kick me (quite hard I might add!!) with both his feet, over and over and over again. I fell backwards onto the tent, where Luke was sleeping, collapsing that side of the contruction and sitting on Lukes feet. I turned my body away from the blows that were now coming at my ribs and thighs.
I remember thinking "Im down for the count man!! You can stop punching" but as my friend pointed out the next day - throught peels of histerical laughter - "Kangaroo's dont follow the boxing rules we humans have". I wasnt sure that he was going to stop without maming me and I called out to the boys for help... to no avail in their sleepy haze they both just kind of grunted at me (professing, the next morning, that they didnt actually realise what was going on)
Well eventually my fury friend decided that I had obviously gotten the message and returned to the box of food. By this stage I was less gun-hoe than I was at the beginning of our introduction, and I quietly leant forward to undo the zipper on the fly, thus allowing our visitor an exit point. I then stood up to my full height and holding the door open said in a pleading voice "Shoo, Shoo, out you go kangaroo".
Well his first reaction was to turn and grunt at me with the same aggrivation he had shown in our original encounter. But now that I was standing he gazed up at my full height and then quickly looked around for an exit, before bounding out. Phew!!
I rubbed some aloe vera on a wound that I had on my leg, and thanked God that I was up to date with my tetnus shots, before grabbing all the food boxes and loading them into the car.
The next morning I had a lovely bruise to show off in accompaniment to my story, and my girlfriends decided that it was one of the best stories they had heard in a long time - and one that must be repeated at every homeschool camp there after (along with the other wonderful tales that have been gathered over our years homeschooling adventures!!).
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Five things
My sister Anne tagged me. So here goes with my 5 things.
What was I doing ten years ago?
1. Enjoying my four year old and a six year old boys
2. Moving interstate
3. Recovering from a whiplash injury.
4. Homeschooling my eldest son.
5. Surviving the hotest summer in SA for about the past 30 years - Our rental house was west-facing with no insulation or aircon. - Weeks and weeks of 40 degree days - the boys never wore clothes they just jumped in and out of the bath all day, playing nude in-between.
Five things currently on my to-do list
1. Not spend any money so we can afford to go away for Davids long service leave next year!
2. Finish the 3 quilts I have started, including one for my neices birthday in May. (this goal doesnt really go with goal one!!)
3. Finish the gyprocking of the study.
4. Finish paving the front path
5. Start my "run it off" challenge (yeah right like that's going to happen)
Five things I would do if I was a billionaire
1. Buy a stack of investment properties so I could continue to generate wealth - so I could do the following:
2. Give up work and travel the world teaching permaculture
3. Give to grassroots work through out the world.
4. Hire a maid!!
5. Build a little strawbale house on a few acres so we could grow our own organic food and get back to basics. (In-between teaching appointments)
Five of my bad habits
1. Procrastination - to the point of puting stuff off for months!!
2. Not asserting myself in relationships
3. Taking things personally
4. Not listening to my intuition
5. Correcting peoples grammer
Five places I have lived
1. Newcastle
2. Coogee Beach
3. Morling Theological College "married quarters" - on campus
4. Rural SA
5. Hackham West - Beachside suburb of Adelaide
Five jobs that I have
1. Secretary
2. Nanny
3. Call centre operator
4. Bowen Therapist
5. Mother
What was I doing ten years ago?
1. Enjoying my four year old and a six year old boys
2. Moving interstate
3. Recovering from a whiplash injury.
4. Homeschooling my eldest son.
5. Surviving the hotest summer in SA for about the past 30 years - Our rental house was west-facing with no insulation or aircon. - Weeks and weeks of 40 degree days - the boys never wore clothes they just jumped in and out of the bath all day, playing nude in-between.
Five things currently on my to-do list
1. Not spend any money so we can afford to go away for Davids long service leave next year!
2. Finish the 3 quilts I have started, including one for my neices birthday in May. (this goal doesnt really go with goal one!!)
3. Finish the gyprocking of the study.
4. Finish paving the front path
5. Start my "run it off" challenge (yeah right like that's going to happen)
Five things I would do if I was a billionaire
1. Buy a stack of investment properties so I could continue to generate wealth - so I could do the following:
2. Give up work and travel the world teaching permaculture
3. Give to grassroots work through out the world.
4. Hire a maid!!
5. Build a little strawbale house on a few acres so we could grow our own organic food and get back to basics. (In-between teaching appointments)
Five of my bad habits
1. Procrastination - to the point of puting stuff off for months!!
2. Not asserting myself in relationships
3. Taking things personally
4. Not listening to my intuition
5. Correcting peoples grammer
Five places I have lived
1. Newcastle
2. Coogee Beach
3. Morling Theological College "married quarters" - on campus
4. Rural SA
5. Hackham West - Beachside suburb of Adelaide
Five jobs that I have
1. Secretary
2. Nanny
3. Call centre operator
4. Bowen Therapist
5. Mother
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Super mum
I have always loved playing with my boys.
When they were small most of my day was caught up with duplo, crafts, train tracks and visiting the park.
As they have gotten older and their interests somewhat more adventurous I have found it more and more difficult to be anything other than a cheer learder on the sidelines of their activities.
Yesterday I was watching Luke run and jump onto the trampoline, commenting on how clever he was (of course!). Luke was energetically explaining to me just how easy it was to do this particular jump as long as you had a run up, and invited me to give it a go. I had declined his enthusiastic offer, as I always do, but he was quite sure that it was achievable even for an old lady like mum, if I just followed his instructions.
So, to his surprise, I relented and said I would give it ago. I wasnt really sure I could do it but thought it was probably one of those few things that I could join him in that has a relatively small risk of injury.
So I made my run-up, and as I approached the trampoline I leaped, just as he had instructed, right leg out in front, so my foot (having landed on the mat) would help to pull the rest of me up. Well for a second their I thought I was going to make it. I was just starting to feeling smug in my abilities when my toes hit the edge of the bar. The impetus of my run up threw my body up on to the trampoline despite of my flailing arms and wobbling body. Following on behind came my left leg, slamming into the bar and then scraping along the springs for extra effect.
I grabbed my knee and rolled around on the trampoline - my pride well and truly bruised, almost as much as my knee! Luke ran up saying, "I cant believe you did that. I was sure you would pike out at the last minute!!" "Oh great!" I thought, "all that badgering and he didnt even expect me to do it!!"
I hopped down, regaining my composure and dusted off my battered ego, while Luke ran to get the mini trampoline, so that I could "try again" with a spring board this time.
Well I suppose if I were a 12 year old I would try it again, but I am coming up for fourty in a few years, so i declined his enthusiastic offer.
The next 24 hours were spent with two jubilant teens encouraging me to "give it another shot, mum!". I never imagined the can of worms I was opening when I said yes to this little adventure but obviously they are quite proud of their mum dispite my failed impersonation of superman... So, after much badgering I have conceded to give it another shot once my wounds have healed - this time with the mini-tramp. I'll keep you posted.
When they were small most of my day was caught up with duplo, crafts, train tracks and visiting the park.
As they have gotten older and their interests somewhat more adventurous I have found it more and more difficult to be anything other than a cheer learder on the sidelines of their activities.
Yesterday I was watching Luke run and jump onto the trampoline, commenting on how clever he was (of course!). Luke was energetically explaining to me just how easy it was to do this particular jump as long as you had a run up, and invited me to give it a go. I had declined his enthusiastic offer, as I always do, but he was quite sure that it was achievable even for an old lady like mum, if I just followed his instructions.
So, to his surprise, I relented and said I would give it ago. I wasnt really sure I could do it but thought it was probably one of those few things that I could join him in that has a relatively small risk of injury.
So I made my run-up, and as I approached the trampoline I leaped, just as he had instructed, right leg out in front, so my foot (having landed on the mat) would help to pull the rest of me up. Well for a second their I thought I was going to make it. I was just starting to feeling smug in my abilities when my toes hit the edge of the bar. The impetus of my run up threw my body up on to the trampoline despite of my flailing arms and wobbling body. Following on behind came my left leg, slamming into the bar and then scraping along the springs for extra effect.
I grabbed my knee and rolled around on the trampoline - my pride well and truly bruised, almost as much as my knee! Luke ran up saying, "I cant believe you did that. I was sure you would pike out at the last minute!!" "Oh great!" I thought, "all that badgering and he didnt even expect me to do it!!"
I hopped down, regaining my composure and dusted off my battered ego, while Luke ran to get the mini trampoline, so that I could "try again" with a spring board this time.
Well I suppose if I were a 12 year old I would try it again, but I am coming up for fourty in a few years, so i declined his enthusiastic offer.
The next 24 hours were spent with two jubilant teens encouraging me to "give it another shot, mum!". I never imagined the can of worms I was opening when I said yes to this little adventure but obviously they are quite proud of their mum dispite my failed impersonation of superman... So, after much badgering I have conceded to give it another shot once my wounds have healed - this time with the mini-tramp. I'll keep you posted.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
A faith based on works
As some of you know I grew up in the Baptist church and served in the ministry for some time, even studying Theology for 3 years.
Since that time my life has moved on and I have come to question a lot of things that I previously believed.
Recently I got in touch with some old church friends and it got me thinking again about my "faith" - what I actually believe and where I now stand.
During the last few days I have been chatting with another "ex-christian" friend of mine about the things we miss about Christian life and our current theological outlooks. It is interesting just how diverse "ex-christians" are. My girlfriend holds onto tennents that dont make any sense to me and in our discussions it was clear that some to the ways I see the world and "the scripture" (in many forms not just the bible), are foreign to her.
It has been a mind blowing time of dialogue. I was chatting to my sister about it (whom works for a Christian mission!), and she was saying that one of the differences that the Christians have to other faiths is that they believe in salvation through faith not works. And this got me thinking; do i really interpret the bible in that way? Is that what I believe about Christianity or other faiths???
Afterall isnt faith without works dead?? And is the spirit of Buddism or Taoism, animism etc really about works. Isnt the path to enlightenment more about Love... and "works" are just an outpouring of that love - as is the case in Christianity.
So I started looking at the web for what others are saying that have travelled a similar journey.
What I am finding is that ultimately it is just a bunch of people with varying opinions. Nobody seems to agree. I can see why it is just easier to accept a laid out faith. Researching the in's and out's has provided quite a headache for me.
One thing that has been highlighted for me however is that Christians dont really understand the true tennents of other faiths. They look at the stucture and make assumptions of what lies beneath. The more I look into Buddism and Tantra the more I realise is that it isnt really about working your way to some paradise in the future. It is more about peacefulness in the now. About fully understanding, appreciating and practicing unconditional love - and that is a long journey, because we have shallow understandings of this concept.
Anyway I found this really interesting little snippet on a blog - about salvation through faith/works. Very thought provoking - I thought I would share it.
Matthew 7:23 is referring to a works based salvation. There is no way around it. With such comments as -> "but he that doeth the will of my Father" and "have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?"
Since that time my life has moved on and I have come to question a lot of things that I previously believed.
Recently I got in touch with some old church friends and it got me thinking again about my "faith" - what I actually believe and where I now stand.
During the last few days I have been chatting with another "ex-christian" friend of mine about the things we miss about Christian life and our current theological outlooks. It is interesting just how diverse "ex-christians" are. My girlfriend holds onto tennents that dont make any sense to me and in our discussions it was clear that some to the ways I see the world and "the scripture" (in many forms not just the bible), are foreign to her.
It has been a mind blowing time of dialogue. I was chatting to my sister about it (whom works for a Christian mission!), and she was saying that one of the differences that the Christians have to other faiths is that they believe in salvation through faith not works. And this got me thinking; do i really interpret the bible in that way? Is that what I believe about Christianity or other faiths???
Afterall isnt faith without works dead?? And is the spirit of Buddism or Taoism, animism etc really about works. Isnt the path to enlightenment more about Love... and "works" are just an outpouring of that love - as is the case in Christianity.
So I started looking at the web for what others are saying that have travelled a similar journey.
What I am finding is that ultimately it is just a bunch of people with varying opinions. Nobody seems to agree. I can see why it is just easier to accept a laid out faith. Researching the in's and out's has provided quite a headache for me.
One thing that has been highlighted for me however is that Christians dont really understand the true tennents of other faiths. They look at the stucture and make assumptions of what lies beneath. The more I look into Buddism and Tantra the more I realise is that it isnt really about working your way to some paradise in the future. It is more about peacefulness in the now. About fully understanding, appreciating and practicing unconditional love - and that is a long journey, because we have shallow understandings of this concept.
Anyway I found this really interesting little snippet on a blog - about salvation through faith/works. Very thought provoking - I thought I would share it.
Matthew 7:23 is referring to a works based salvation. There is no way around it. With such comments as -> "but he that doeth the will of my Father" and "have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?"
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Going "fresh"
Recently I had the misfortune of being very ill for several days, after eating some icecream. I am not very tolerant of sugar, or dairy or wheat - so icecream is not a good choice for me... but when the rest of the family were hoeing into it... and it looked so yummy, it was hard to resist.
Well I ended up in bed for 4 days. I was completely miserable and I promised myself that when I got well, I would be more careful with my health and what I consume.
The crazy thing about my body is that sometimes I can eat contrabaned foods and be fine and then at other times I have an outrageous reaction, like the one mentioned above. Maybe it has to do with the moon, maybe it has to do with too many pollutants in the air on any given day, who knows?!!
What I have committed to however is that from now on I am going to be dairy free and almost sugar and wheat free. I am still allowing myself a plain biscuit in the evenings with a cup of tea - my final vice. Ive started feeling really good.
I have found that just by virtue of how much those products have permiated almost all precessed foods in our society, that my diet has been mostly restricted to fresh produce. So I decided to take the next step in the challenge . I have a couple of friends that have a complete raw diet, but this is far to extreme for me. So while I am still allowed to cook stuff, most of my diet is now fresh products.
It is amazing how easy the diet has been. I thought going sugar free would be difficult, but when most of my food is fresh, I find that I dont crave those other things. In fact I am eating a lot less, just because the variety is much smaller and so when I go to eat something out of habit I tend to look at the food and think "do I really want MORE of that?" I usually only say yes if Im actually hungry
One other thing that has been a surprise is that I am drinking more. Drinking smoothies, soy milk, juices and home made broths. And water, lots of water. When I go to the cupboard and feel like a little something and nothing takes my fancy, I grab a glass of water and that works a treat. Im realising that, in the past, I used to eat when I was actually just thirsty.
It is exciting to be in this place. When I looked at a raw food diet several months ago I thought "I could never do that" ... I didnt realise that I could take up an adapted option that would work so well for me. Yippeee.
But it is early days. So we will just have to see how things go.
Well I ended up in bed for 4 days. I was completely miserable and I promised myself that when I got well, I would be more careful with my health and what I consume.
The crazy thing about my body is that sometimes I can eat contrabaned foods and be fine and then at other times I have an outrageous reaction, like the one mentioned above. Maybe it has to do with the moon, maybe it has to do with too many pollutants in the air on any given day, who knows?!!
What I have committed to however is that from now on I am going to be dairy free and almost sugar and wheat free. I am still allowing myself a plain biscuit in the evenings with a cup of tea - my final vice. Ive started feeling really good.
I have found that just by virtue of how much those products have permiated almost all precessed foods in our society, that my diet has been mostly restricted to fresh produce. So I decided to take the next step in the challenge . I have a couple of friends that have a complete raw diet, but this is far to extreme for me. So while I am still allowed to cook stuff, most of my diet is now fresh products.
It is amazing how easy the diet has been. I thought going sugar free would be difficult, but when most of my food is fresh, I find that I dont crave those other things. In fact I am eating a lot less, just because the variety is much smaller and so when I go to eat something out of habit I tend to look at the food and think "do I really want MORE of that?" I usually only say yes if Im actually hungry
One other thing that has been a surprise is that I am drinking more. Drinking smoothies, soy milk, juices and home made broths. And water, lots of water. When I go to the cupboard and feel like a little something and nothing takes my fancy, I grab a glass of water and that works a treat. Im realising that, in the past, I used to eat when I was actually just thirsty.
It is exciting to be in this place. When I looked at a raw food diet several months ago I thought "I could never do that" ... I didnt realise that I could take up an adapted option that would work so well for me. Yippeee.
But it is early days. So we will just have to see how things go.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Beachy daze
We have been squeezing every last ounce of value out of the summer months, here in Adelaide. Autumn has just arrived but we have had 2 weeks of 35+ degree days. Being beach lovers we have been enjoying the water everyday.
I have come to realise that I'm actually a bit addicted to that floating feeling fo the sea. With the gentle waves of SA coast (the boys calle them mico-waves because they are almost non-existent), it is a pleasure to just lay back and enjoy the rocking motion.
Each day we go for a short swim and then fool around for a while before heading home again. Living so close to the beach, we dont have to stay all day. We just pop down and laze around until it starts getting too cold. Sometimes we go down twice during the day to cool off.
Yesterday a dolphin came right up to the shore and was swimming along about 4 metres out. A heard of children came running down the beach crying out about the dolphin. Luke ran ahead and then swam out into the path of the dolphin. When the creature surfaced again, it was within arms reach of Luke. It was all so exciting. Lukes comment was "I wish I could rewind my memories and play them like a video so i could watch them over and over". He couldnt believe how close it was to him.
Even being on the shore, it was a thrill to see the dolphin, skimming the surface and submerging again.
A few weeks agon we also saw a seal off the edge of the reef at Noarlunga. Jordan swam out to it and stool on the reef watching it catch fish and then stick its head out of the water and clean its wiskers with its front fins. Soon a small crowd had gathered. The seal wasnt the least bit perturbed. There was a small group of snorklers in the water and they hadnt seen the seal, until it swam right up to them. They just about wet their pants. It was hilarious to watch.
The other creature that has been seen quite a bit at our local beach is a sting ray. Im not sure it is the same one each time, but it is very unnerving when you are just floating along and this large figure comes out from the sand and swims off. I wish he would swim somewhere else.
Atleast it isnt a shark! LOL.
I feel to blessed to be surrounded by such beauty and wonder!! I love our new home near the sea and our summer lifestyle. What else could we ask for.
I have come to realise that I'm actually a bit addicted to that floating feeling fo the sea. With the gentle waves of SA coast (the boys calle them mico-waves because they are almost non-existent), it is a pleasure to just lay back and enjoy the rocking motion.
Each day we go for a short swim and then fool around for a while before heading home again. Living so close to the beach, we dont have to stay all day. We just pop down and laze around until it starts getting too cold. Sometimes we go down twice during the day to cool off.
Yesterday a dolphin came right up to the shore and was swimming along about 4 metres out. A heard of children came running down the beach crying out about the dolphin. Luke ran ahead and then swam out into the path of the dolphin. When the creature surfaced again, it was within arms reach of Luke. It was all so exciting. Lukes comment was "I wish I could rewind my memories and play them like a video so i could watch them over and over". He couldnt believe how close it was to him.
Even being on the shore, it was a thrill to see the dolphin, skimming the surface and submerging again.
A few weeks agon we also saw a seal off the edge of the reef at Noarlunga. Jordan swam out to it and stool on the reef watching it catch fish and then stick its head out of the water and clean its wiskers with its front fins. Soon a small crowd had gathered. The seal wasnt the least bit perturbed. There was a small group of snorklers in the water and they hadnt seen the seal, until it swam right up to them. They just about wet their pants. It was hilarious to watch.
The other creature that has been seen quite a bit at our local beach is a sting ray. Im not sure it is the same one each time, but it is very unnerving when you are just floating along and this large figure comes out from the sand and swims off. I wish he would swim somewhere else.
Atleast it isnt a shark! LOL.
I feel to blessed to be surrounded by such beauty and wonder!! I love our new home near the sea and our summer lifestyle. What else could we ask for.
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