Bloom

Something felt
something hidden
deep within her
a secret hope.
Wary of jumping
wary of loving
wary of trusting
so she held it
kept it
treasured it
softly.
A shy sprout
peeking
a white bud
forming
a flower
blooming
melting the shadows
boldening in brightness
in whiteness
and baring itself
beautifully.

A much loved, ungrateful feline!

Pixie in one of her cuddly moods (having been

fed!)

Wednesday

Icy hands
and excitable cockatiels
and a knot in my stomach
that I'm trying to let go
and give up
and find that place of peace within.
Still no job but keep checking,
and trusting.
Will go for a walk
and pass a certain Aunty
who never fails
to cry
helloo
at passers-by,
which I love!

Sandpaper!

Sandpaper! An alternative to waxing and shaving, the VERY fine fine sandpaper you can find, rubbed up and down or in a circular motion on your legs works like a charm!!!
And its cheap..and pain free!
Yeyah.
Jem

Butterflies

I was thinking of butterflies as I was lying in bed last night (you know...as you do), and how the caterpillar's transformation into a butterfly in its cocoon is often used as an illustration of Christ's life in us- changing us ever more into His likeness. It's interesting too, to note that this change occurs within the cocoon- in secret, and its the same with us. Often the change that is happening on the inside and the work that He is accomplishing in and through us happens in small, subtle ways and in a deep and secret part of us- sometimes even we aren't aware of the change ourselves. But God is, and while this earthly life is very much like the cocoon and our body awfully restricted like the body of a caterpillar- he is able to see the butterfly that will emerge when the time is right, beautiful and free to take flight, if not in this earthly life- then in the eternal realm :-)

A song we sing

We sing this song in our home church, it really is lovely and captures the essence of that love between Christ and His bride, Him and us. And nothing can keep us apart, we are His, as white as a lily and oh so beloved :-)

To you I'm so fair
To you I'm so pure
You call me your beautiful one
You say in my ear
Oh my love I am here
With you, I have fallen in love

Yes, I'm the desire of your heart
Now nothing can keep us apart
You've yearned for me so
It's to you, Lord, I go
I've never known love such as this

To me you're so fair
To me you're so pure
I call you my beautiful one
I say in your ear
Oh my love, I am here
With you, I have fallen in love

Oh you're the desire of my heart
Now nothing can keep us apart
I've yearned for you so
It's to you, Lord, I go
I've never known love such as this

Waterfall of Forgiveness

'Let me tell you a story about a little boy who used to play in the woods just a short distance away from the dilapidated hut that he lived in. His parents were too poor to buy him any toys, so he had to make do with whatever he could find. One day, he chanced upon a stone that was unlike any he had ever seen. The polished surface of the stone glistened in his hands and winked at him each time he turned it around in the sunlight. It was his very own treasure and he loved it. The boy did not dare bring it back to his home as there was nowhere in the hut he could hide it. He decided to dig a deep hole under some bushes and hide his precious possession there.

The next day, the boy couldn't wait to retrieve his stone and ran to its hiding place as soon as the sun arose. But when his fingers finally found the stone in its muddy hideaway, it was all grubby and stained, without any of the lustre that he loved so much. The boy took the stone to the stream and carefully dipped it in, allowing the dirt to be washed away. Finally, it was clean again and the boy's heart swelled with pride at his coveted find. But all too soon, the time came for the boy to head home and he had to return the stone to its hiding place.

Every day, the boy would rush to the spot where he had hidden the stone. And every day, he would find its shiny surface smeared with mud and he would trek into the river some distance away to wash it. This happened for a while before he decided to solve the problem. That day, when it was almost time for him to head home, the little boy took his stone to a small waterfall and wedged it carefully between two rocks, right in the middle of the steady flow of the waterfall. That night, the stone experienced a continual washing. And that little boy never had to wash the stone again. Every time he retrieved it, it gleamed in his hands, completely cleansed.

What the little boy did with the stone initially can be likened to what happens under the old covenant. Each time you sinned, you had to be cleansed. But before you knew it, you would sin again, and you would have to bring your sin offering of either a bullock or a lamb to the priests to be cleansed again. Some believers still think this is our covenant today, but let me declare to you that Jesus' blood is far greater than the blood of bulls and goats. The blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, bought us eternal forgiveness. The blood of bulls and goats in the old covenant could only offer temporal forgiveness, and that's why the children of Israel had to keep bringing animal sacrafices to the priests over and over again, every time they failed.

Jesus however, died on the cross once and for all. When you were born again, you became a living stone and God placed you right under the waterfall of His Son's blood. Hence, every thought you have that is amiss, every feeling that is not right, every action that is not correct, is washed away! You are always kept clean and forgiven because of the continuous cleansing of Jesus' blood!'

- 'Destined to Reign', by Joseph Prince

Wow!

Ephesians 2:1-10 (emphasis mine)

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
BUT because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved.
AND God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no-one can boast.
For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.



- Wow! This is just so amazing. He really does have everything under control, and we are His, for ever :-)

The Song of Songs

I chanced upon this beautiful blog dedicated to the Song of Solomon, you can see it here-

http://solomonssong.wordpress.com/

:-)

P.S. Reading it, start from the beginning (the bottom of the blogpage) because it takes you through the parts, I just love it!

my Beloved

I am my love's and he is mine,
And this is his desire,
That with his beauty I may shine
In radiant attire.
And this will be-when all of me
Is pruned and purged with fire.

Come, my Beloved, let us go
Forth to the waiting field;
And where thy choicest fruit trees grow,
Thy pruning knife now wield
That at thy will and through thy skill
Their richest store may yield.

And spices give a sweet perfume,
And vines show tender shoots,
And all my trees burst forth in bloom,
Fair buds from bitter roots.
There will not I my love deny,
But yield thee pleasant fruits.

(Cant 7:10-13), Hannah Hurnard
'Hinds' Feet on High Places'

Flickerings

Traces of silver...
and this mist that envelopes me
clinging to my body and heart
lieing here where now touches eternity
reaching for that which is everlasting
and perfect
we all know the feeling
we all grasp for truth
somehow somewhere
life was perfect,
the golden age a reflection of
this
heart's reality
for eternity has been set within us all
that longing for something more
something that chance
and evolution can never explain
this road we travel
in the winter's dusk
is shimmering with faint colours
mingling with shadows and
faintly scratched outlines
of what is to come
walk with me
we need eachother
just as we need the hope
professed to us
before the beginning
began

-Jemma Morrison
May 2009

The most fabulous and delicious carrot cake ever!

I am gluten free and love baking. I use the 'Simple' brand of bread mix which is gluten free and available in most supermarkets- its good to refrigerate the cake or muffins so that they don't dry out too fast, and better too to underbake than overbake!!
This recipe is delicious- sourced from the Edmonds 'Food for Flatters', and I have just made a few changes here and there.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup ricebran oil
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
3 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup or so of sultanas
1 cup stewed granny smith apple (approx. 2 large apples)
1 tsp of grated lemon or orange rind
pinch of salt

To make:

Beat together eggs and sugar. Add oil. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
Combine carrot, apple, sultanas and orange/lemon rind. Fold into the wet mixture. Fold in dry ingredients and pour into greased cake tin. Bake at 180 degrees celsius for about 30-40 mins- but check on it- will be ready when top bounces up and skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool and spread with cream cheese icing, yummy!

Cream Cheese Icing:

2 tbsp softened butter
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 cup icing sugar
tsp of grated lemon rind

Mix together until there are no lumps and spread on the cooled cake.