The Pilgrim Penguin

when church disappoints - part 1

2010-05-31T06:20:00.000+10:00

There are a lot of reasons why church might disappoint us. In this post I'm discussing the reason I struggle with the most: sin among church members. I'd like church to be a loving, forgiving, generous hearted, unworldly community that seeks to be obedient to God in all matters. Since marrying the Revd penguin, I've been exposed to more of the downside of church than ever before, because the minister of the church usually hears about or is involved in some way in all the muck that goes on. I know that we aren't reaching the standards that God sets for us and in my lowest moments I start to wonder if God is actually powerful enough to transform anyone.

One curious encouragement comes from the way that the Bible honestly describes what early Christian communities were like. Leaders sometimes seriously fell out with one another (Acts 15:36-41; Phil 4:2), there sexual immorality that unbelievers wouldn't even engage in (1 Cor 5:1), snobbery, favouritism and greed abounded (James 2:1-7), and people criticised and even abandoned the apostle Paul - the human leader God used to found the worldwide church as we know it today (2 Cor 10:10; 2 Tim 1:15).

It seems that early Christians were no better than us, and God has allowed information about their failings to be recorded for us in Scripture. So I shouldn't become too discouraged when I find sin in Christian congregations - we're all sinners who recognise that Jesus came to die so we can be forgiven. God is powerful to transform us, but he doesn't do it all at once: we are continually being refined and sanctified as we await our final transformation (1 Peter 1:1-9). At the same time I shouldn't become complacent about my sin or the sins of others either - the words of Scripture are there to teach, rebuke, correct and train us, there's no need to wallow in the muck that Christ came to redeem us from (Rom 6:11-14).

Those who have read my last post will have realised that I've softened the title - it didn't seem right to say that the body of Christ "sucks", so I've changed it to "disappoints", which captures my meaning better anyway.

the penguin returns...

2010-05-29T15:15:00.003+10:00

... new, improved, with fewer rabbit behinds.

Since last posting we've had some big changes in the penguin household. We have joyfully added a small penguin (my daughter, 16 months old) and sadly said goodbye to Honey Bunny who passed away shortly before Christmas from a suspected red back spider bite. Koko Black powers on, and enjoys playing with the neighbour's cat from the safety of her enclosure. The cat has decided that she would prefer to live at our place and seems unimpressed by verbal arguments concerning the allergies of my husband.

The ups and downs of life with a small penguin mean that my blog posts are unlikely to be a daily occurence, but hopefully I'll get them out regularly enough to keep a few people entertained and/or encouraged.

Stay tuned for a series called "when church sucks" - it won't be quite as bleak as the title suggests.

Sunday bunny - a young Honey Bunny

2009-01-11T18:59:00.000+11:00

I'm feeling paranoid about taking the camera out of my hospital bag now, as I don't want to forget it or the memory card when we go in. With baby now a week overdue, we will be needing it soon.

There are some impressive excavations in the backyard, however I won't be photographing them. Andrew has reached down the hole with a garden stake, and it is now nearly 2 metres long, and wide enough to turn around in. It is angled downwards, so the design aim seems to be an extension of bunny living quarters, rather than escape.

Anyway, this is Sunday bunny, and without further ado, here is a picture of Honey Bunny from her youth.

Posts will almost certainly become more irregular from here on in, at least for a while.

Sunday bunny - angled Honey Bunny

2009-01-04T10:04:00.001+11:00

Sunday bunny - the excavations continue

2008-12-28T17:59:00.005+11:00

The hole is deeper...

one can only just make out a tail when they're all the way down...
(right hand side of pic in the middle)

This is Koko Black exiting bottom first, obviously there isn't enough space at the end of the burrow to turn around yet...

my God is so big

2008-12-22T12:48:00.001+11:00

I've been slowly making my way through chronological readings of the Old Testament and have now reached the book of Daniel. While it contains some spooky and weird stuff, for which I've been getting a bit of interpretation help from a basic commentary, there is one theme that stands out clearly and prominently...

God is powerful.

He shuts the mouths of lions (Dan 6), he can bring the mightiest ruler low (Dan 4), he can even sustain strapping young men on a diet of vegetables (Dan 1)! He rules everyone and everything (Dan 7:11-14).

Sometimes I feel uncomfortable focussing my thoughts on God's power, because I don't want to presume that he will exercise it on my behalf in the ways that I want to prescribe for him. He isn't a magic genie god after all (Dan 3:16-18).

However, it's enormously encouraging to know that God is more powerful than anyone or anything else in the universe. He's more powerful than the people whose approval I crave, he's more powerful than the people who are able to harm me or disrupt my life, he is able to exercise his strength in the situations that I feel hopeless about. Above all, he has exercised his power to save me in Christ (Eph 1:17-21).

What a great gift and privilege it is to know and be able to pray to our powerful God.

Sunday bunny - tunnelling

2008-12-21T15:31:00.006+11:00

There's nothing like rain softened earth and mild temperatures to bring out the tunnellers...

ouch

2008-11-29T21:30:00.001+11:00

One of the fun aspects of being pregnant is interpreting the movements of my baby. This is a highly subjective process that is easily worked to my advantage. If the baby moves while I'm eating chocolate, obviously baby enjoys chocolate and would like some more. (Of course if I'm honest, most of the time I have no idea what the movements really mean - other than knowing that baby wants to move his/her limbs.)

A night or two ago, I work up at 4.30am absolutely ravenous. This isn't that unusual, and normally I get up and eat a banana or a couple of dried biscuits and go back to sleep. Except this time I decided that I really couldn't be bothered getting up and tried to just go back to sleep. At this baby moved, and it wasn't just the usual gentle kicking - it really hurt! So I took the hint, got up, and ate something and baby settled right back down again.

I hope this isn't a sign of things to come...

Friday Proverb - the fridge man

2008-11-28T21:00:00.006+11:00

Recently Andrew and I purchased a new fridge in anticipation of our soon to be expanded family. His old "bachelor fridge" that he brought into our marriage was barely big enough for the two of us, and required creative stacking when we entertained, so we concluded that it was time to upsize.

As sometimes happens with new appliances, our new fridge wasn't everything we hoped it would be - the vegies kept on freezing. Bad news for us and our furry friends in the backyard. So we rang the manufacturer, and the fridge man came to take care of things for us.

Although the fridge man eventually proved to be an able mechanic, he did not score highly in the emotional intelligence department. He didn't really communicate well, disappeared mysteriously for a while (though when he returned he smelled strongly of cigarette smoke), and was quite rude and arrogant in his manner.

Now here is where we turn to what I should have done in response, which contrasts somewhat with what I actually did. Proverbs 12:16 says:

Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.

Given the fridge man's obvious competence in the matter of repairing fridges, I should have just left him to it. Andrew, who is a more even tempered individual than me, was at home and was happy to deal with him.

However, I stayed, showed my annoyance, argued with the fridge man and then stormed out into the backyard. Those who know me personally may think this out of character, although one or two who know me very closely may not be surprised at all.

There are moments in life when it is much better to overlook insulting behaviour, especially for the sake of the gospel. When the fridge man came into our house, he would have seen a large cross over the doorway that goes into our kitchen, a pile of Bibles on the coffee table, and numerous missionary prayer cards on our fridge. How much better would it have been had he also seen an example of Christian patience and love at work.

Hopefully I will do better the next time something like that happens. Thankfully, God's grace to me in Christ is more than big enough to deal with my ungracious behaviour.

Sunday bunny - flat out Honey Bunny

2008-11-16T15:46:00.004+11:00

Captured by Andrew - Honey Bunny lies flat out in a self dug trench. Like many mature girl rabbits, she has a ruff of loose skin around her neck, which adds to her somewhat peculiar look.

toxic penguin?

2008-11-14T19:39:00.001+11:00

Alas, no Friday Proverb as I've hardly been able to get off the couch all day. However I thought I'd put in a link to a not terribly disturbing article about the big penguin in Penguin, Tasmania.

Hopefully I will post something more meaningful soon : )

Sunday bunnies

2008-10-19T16:14:00.005+11:00

Friday Proverb - house building

2008-10-17T21:15:00.007+11:00

Proverbs 14:1 The wise woman builds her house,
but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

This one looks like a no brainer, after all, only an idiot would tear down her own house! However, while I don't go around demolishing my living quarters (though Andrew describes my approach to gardening with the phrase "rip rip woodchip") there are plenty of times when I figuratively do tear down my house. Times when I speak or write or act hastily without thinking through the consequences of my behaviour for others and even myself. Or simply times when I just amble on with life without considering what I'm doing or what the end effect of my choices will be.

So how do I change? I need to work out how to build my own house. This involves catching myself before I act destructively. Asking questions helps. Am I just needing to vent, or can I say words that will bring healing, growth or change? What is the ultimate direction of my plans, big and small? Am I just aimlessly doing stuff, or do I work as a builder? This applies in physical, intellectual and relational realms, among others.

A few examples:

physical - getting house ready for baby. Am I making preparations that will actually benefit our baby? How many of the things on my list are going to build our family in the right kind of way? Is it being done in such a way that we don't ruin our budget, or, less obviously, our spiritual lives?

intellectual - am I seeking to love God with my mind? Am I thinking about things that will help me to see the world more and more as He does, or am I filling it with rubbish?

relational - if I give vent to my emotions now what will the end result be? How can I work to resolve the problem so that this relationship improves?

when things look shaky

2008-10-13T19:25:00.000+11:00

With regard to Hebrews 12:28, F. F. Bruce says

... in a day when everything that can be shaken is being shaken before our eyes and even beneath our feet, let us in our turn give thanks for the unshakable kingdom which we have inherited, which endures forever when everything else to which men and women may pin their hopes disappears and leaves not a wrack behind.

p. 392 of The Epistle to the Hebrews by F. F. Bruce in the NICNT series, published by Eerdmans.

Sunday bunny

2008-10-12T19:22:00.004+11:00

A close up of Koko Black

Friday Proverb - chosen with holidays in mind

2008-09-25T09:00:00.000+10:00

As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed. (Proverbs 26:14)

Launceston holiday pics

2008-09-23T16:51:00.006+10:00

The Launceston Gorge from the chairlift

I did not get on the chairlift, having a bit of a thing about heights, but Andrew did and he obliged with some stunning pictures. Meanwhile I was sitting with my feet up at the kiosk sipping ginger ale.

Peacock

One of the peacocks that hangs out around the park near the gorge.

Church on the Tamar River

I've forgotten the name of it, but the tourist brochures say that it was built as a wedding present!

Echidnas

They are eating a protein mix. Their keeper is in the background.

Daffodils at the Hilldale Strawberry farm

penguin pause

2008-09-16T21:04:00.003+10:00

We're off to Tassie for a week for holidays, so I'll be having a brief break from blogging.

Here's a picture taken on our last holiday there:

Sunday bunny: from cute overload

2008-09-14T11:00:00.001+10:00

Click here for the original post "OK, so I might have a problem"

I have resolved to ration myself to one rabbit related post per week from here on in...

Friday Proverb

2008-09-12T17:56:00.003+10:00

On Thursday evenings Andrew and I lead a small group for people who've recently graduated from uni, and in the last few weeks we've been learning from the Bible about work together. The last two weeks we've been looking at Proverbs about the world of work together. Here's a Proverb that got us talking:

“It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer— then goes off and boasts about the purchase. (Proverbs 20:14)

This is no moral guideline for living, rather an astute observation about how the world of buying and selling works. The application for a person in retail business is obvious - don't be duped into reducing a price because of unreasonable complaints. I think that for the rest of us it's a warning about considering and weighing up the negative feedback that others give us. How serious are they? Realistically speaking, how much of a problem is it? Are they playing us for more than they can reasonably expect?

There are plenty of balancing Proverbs that warn us to listen to advice and feedback so this can't be telling us to just ignore any and every negative evaluation. Just give some thought to the motivations of the evaluator.

discovered on the free postcard stand today

2008-09-11T17:47:00.004+10:00

Only it's a shame it wasn't a postcard that can be sent, rather the front cover of a brochure:

a happy moment of provision

2008-09-09T19:48:00.003+10:00

The RSPCA has sold out. We had been purchasing RSPCA endorsed food for our rabbits which we discovered is "enriched with molasses". Feeding it to them meant that we were giving them a sugar hit twice a day. Figuring that this could be the cause of their cranky behaviour and expanding waistlines, we've weaned them off it. This has meant increasing their vegie intake, which can add unnecessary $ to the grocery bill.

So I decided to weed out the clover from our vegie patch and plant some rabbit friendly vegetables. However, it's hard to get seedlings established in our garden. They are either dug up by the neighbourhood cats who like to use the patch for a litter box, or snacked on by the local bird population who seem to prefer the tenderness of new seedlings over older established plants.

It occurred to me that what I needed was something that would let light and rain through, but keep the wildlife out. Until a few hours ago I thought that I would solve the problem by going to Bunnings tomorrow and making a purchase. The "cheap" solution to our rabbits' dietary requirements was getting more and more expensive. However, as I was driving home, I noticed that people from a house round the corner from us were putting out plastic bakery trays for the hard rubbish collection. These trays have holes wide enough to let light and sun through, but small enough to keep the birds out.

Having checked that they were definitely up for grabs - there was plenty of other hard rubbish out on the street, but I'd hate to make a mistake - I picked them up, took them home and positioned them over the seedlings.

It made me very happy.

Don't get me wrong though, I'm not pretending for an instant that the dietary needs of our rabbits are of earth shattering importance. They are just bunnies. However it did remind me of God's generous provision for us in so many ways every day - even in little things.

fennel

2008-09-08T21:28:00.003+10:00

It seems that fennel is an acquired taste - it was missing this morning when I checked the rabbits' hutch. I'm amazed at what they can manage to chew down. They also enjoy "neat" coriander, thyme and twigs from lemon trees. Tangy!

meme: random facts

2008-09-07T23:00:00.001+10:00

Apologies to anyone who has looked at my blog in the last three weeks only to be greeted by the same picture of my rabbit's behind. Finally, I have been stirred from my blog slumber by Jean who has tagged me to do this meme.

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who ‘tagged’ you!
2. Post the rules on your blog!
3. List 6 random facts about yourself!
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post!
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by commenting on their blog!
6. Let the tagger know the entry is posted on your blog!

1. My favourite composer is Beethoven. I'd like it if I could name someone more obscure and clever sounding, but it just wouldn't be true.

2. I recently made healthy muffins from a recipe in a pregnancy book. They are terrible! Beware any cake or muffin recipe with no added sugar or sweetener.

3. I purchased fennel which was on special at the supermarket today because I had read on a website that it's suitable for rabbits to eat. They don't like it, but I'll keep serving it to them 'til it's gone. It could be an acquired taste...

4. When I went to Tasmania last year I saw penguins in three different places on four separate occasions, only one of which I had to pay for.

5. The most comfortable pants that I can wear at the moment are an old pair of fluffy grey trackky daks. My husband thinks that I should throw them out, but I can't bear to. In all of this I have been shown to be a hypocrite, for there are many items of clothing that I've urged him to throw out over the last few years. Apparently the arguments I present in favour of hanging on to them are duplicates of those that he has presented to me in the past.

6. In spite of (or perhaps because of?) years of tertiary training in western art music I am really enjoying watching Australian Idol at the moment.

Just like Jean, I don't actually know six people with suitable blogs well enough to link to them (and she's already linked to two that I know) so I'm linking to Random Alex, UltraViolet and the Idle Introvert.

wet n wild

2008-08-15T16:04:00.002+10:00

Our rabbits have access to a sheltered hutch, but they usually prefer the outdoors when it's raining. The hole in the bottom right hand of the picture was dug by them.

fat cat

2008-08-09T14:46:00.002+10:00

To see a really fat cat, click here.

Jesus fully God, fully human - Hebrews 1-2

2008-08-09T14:43:00.003+10:00

I worked hard on Hebrews 1-2 over last weekend, and was really been struck by just how strongly trinitarian the author is in the way that he (yes, apparently there is a masculine verb in 11:32 - there go my hopes for a New Testament book written by a woman!) uses the Old Testament.

Take for example this quote from Psalm 45:6-7 which was initially written about God's relationship with the Israelite king. The writer to Hebrews applies it directly to Jesus:

"Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy."

God is the one reigning forever, an attribute that is also ascribed to Jesus (Hebrew 13:8). At the same time God sets Jesus above his companions, anointing him as his special king. So Jesus is God, but he's also distinct from God as God's Son.

In another quote from Psalm 102:25-27 the author of Hebrews takes a passage we may think of as referring only to God the Father, and again applies it directly to Jesus:

“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.
You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”

So Jesus is not just redeemer of the world, he is also creator of the world. As the author of Hebrews is at pains to point out, it matters how we treat Jesus - he isn't just some guy, he's the Lord of all creation.

a dose of dosa - adventurous eating

2008-08-06T17:03:00.000+10:00

Andrew and I had a new culinary experience a few days ago. We were in the mood for some mild Indian food and, as we live not far from a shopping strip made up almost exclusively of Indian shops, we decided to get some takeaway.

We thought we were going to a stock standard take away place, and had been planning to order butter chicken - something that would be nice and easy on a reflux prone tummy. However, when we looked at the menu we realised that, apart from a few very bland dishes obviously designed for non Indians (eg. chicken fried rice - hardly an Indian staple!), we didn't recognise a thing.

Almost everything listed ended in the word "dosa". Perhaps we should have been tipped off by the fact that the place was called "The Dosa Hut"! So we asked what they were and got some recommendations. We also picked two unrecognisable entrees at random.

The entrees were ok, but the dosas were fantastic. They are like a large savoury pancake, with stuffing and dipping sauces. They were also reasonably cheap and made a substantial meal, at around $6 each.

The decor was simple - plastic chairs and tables. We were the only non-Indians dining there that evening, however we were made to feel very welcome and no one made fun of our ignorance.

We plan to go back again. Perhaps later in pregnancy I'll go really crazy and get a 70 cm dosa: the footlong at subway pales by comparison!

If you're curious, as always Wikipedia has an article about dosas here.

and now for something completely different....

2008-07-31T17:00:00.007+10:00

I have started reading a sci-fi novel. The closest I've been to this genre in the past has been reading Douglas Adams and watching the odd episode of Red Dwarf, neither of which really count as serious sci-fi.

What has brought this on? My husband Andrew suggested I read it. I figured that:

it will be good to experience something he enjoys - though I doubt I'm going to apply that to the other genre he reads even more frequently in his spare time, namely military history.
reading it will broaden my literary horizons.

I'm now a few chapters into Enders' Game by Orson Scott Card. Here are my initial impressions:

this is a book written, if I am allowed to indulge in stereotyping again, for blokes. The psychology of the characters is explored, but it is, with only the occasional exception, put in terms of strategy and power struggles rather than love and connection. It also seems to be following the "lone hero saves the world" storyline - though I'm hoping for a twist or two.
for a book written in the 1970s some aspects of it are accurately futuristic. Much of what is described has now been achieved with computers, particularly online gaming.
the storyline is engaging, but I'm unlikely to queue up to read more of this author's work after I finish - there just isn't enough relational interest and/or light relief

Andrew has now offered to read a book that I suggest, so I'm wondering which one to suggest? Jane Austen would probably be cruel, given that he cannot sit in front of an Austen TV adaptation for more than a few minutes. I'm considering Alexander McCall Smith - an author who cannot write books fast enough for me to read them - or possibly something a bit more intense like Anne Tyler. Any suggestions?

brilliant idea

2008-07-27T19:15:00.000+10:00

We've recently been to the new Women's Hospital. I've noted, with some happiness, that one of the shops there is "The Chocolate Box". A person can purchase chocolate penguins there, among other sugar and fat laden delights. From a nutritional point of view this is not much better than McDonalds at the Children's Hospital, however the mental health benefits are unquestionable.

peace reigns in the bunny hutch

2008-07-25T21:52:00.003+10:00

Koko Black is grooming Honey Bunny. There was no rabbit argy-bargy today.

Jesus is the best, chuck out the rest!

2008-07-24T18:33:00.004+10:00

Today I met with some Bible study leaders to take a look at the book of Hebrews from the Bible. I asked them to come up with a summary sentence for the book, and one stand out from many helpful summaries was:

Jesus is the best, chuck out the rest!

I thought it was quite apt, though it's worth noting that the writer to the Hebrews isn't necesssarily saying that everything apart from Jesus is rubbish that should be chucked out, but rather...

Jesus is the best, you don't need the rest, because He is the best.

Angels, Moses, high priests, the tabernacle and the law all had their role to play in the story of God's people, but in the end they can't fully represent God to us, nor can they save us from God's anger over our wrongdoing, like Jesus does.

I'll be writing more about Hebrews in coming days and weeks, so if you're keen to read along with me and give feedback and ideas, I'd love to hear from you. You can find a version online here.

eww!

2008-07-22T20:28:00.002+10:00

Yesterday I cleaned out my study. I do this periodically, usually when the pile of papers on my desk has reached about one foot high and have then spread themselves onto the floor. My husband, who likes things neat, rarely sets foot inside. It's a great hiding place for yet to be given presents.

Anyway, I was a little over zealous with the cleaning and discovered within about ten minutes of my recycling box being emptied into the large yellow bin outside that a somewhat crucial piece of paper had disappeared, presumably into the bin. It was cold and dark, so I waited til this morning, put some gloves on and dug through the bin. Thankfully it didn't take too long to find and the smell was only mildly disgusting.

All in all I think this is a sign that I ought to clean less.

penguin pause

2008-07-11T19:32:00.002+10:00

I'm off to a conference with work tomorrow and won't be posting for little over a week. Back soon...

Mexican standoff in the bunny hutch

2008-07-09T17:54:00.005+10:00

Food has always been a bit of a divider for our bunnies.

Every meal time they hear one of us approach with their pellets and are stirred into a frenzy of anxiety. Will there be a sufficient supply for both? For a while they simply growled at one other and acted a bit agro until the pellets arrived, at which point both would go heads down, tails up into their bowl.

Now, however, bunny paranoia has reached a new level. The attitude runs something like this:

If there are to be enough bunny pellets for me, then I need to keep you away from them, so that I can have them for myself. However, keeping you away from the pellets involves vigilance on my part, therefore I cannot enjoy the pellets either.

I have never claimed that they are intelligent creatures!

Until a human intervenes, or the hunger pangs get too strong, no bunny gets to eat. The pellets disappear far more slowly over the day, rather than vanishing within an hour or two of first being put out as they used to.

(Lest anyone mistake us for cruel people who underfeed our bunnies, it is worth pointing out that they always have plenty of hay, and usually also grass and vegies supplementary to their pellets. Both bunnies are amply proportioned.)

I was tempted to call this post "bunnies are just like people - 3rd installment", but I restrained myself. While I did take a small portion of potato from my husband's plate yesterday, I didn't growl at him as I did so, nor did we both go hungry while protecting our meals from one another!

However, there is a fundamental lack of bunny trust in us as their carers and protectors which I find disheartening. In many ways this is very similar to how we treat God - He gives us everything and promises to provide all we need, yet most of the time we act as if there isn't enough to go around, and assume that we ought to get whatever we need on our own terms, even if it means hurting someone else. (Rom 1:18-32)

Even just this afternoon I have been reminded of my need to keep on trusting God in prayer for everything I need. May I act toward Him and my fellow humans far better than the bunnies treat their owners and one another!

What would you do?

2008-07-07T16:46:00.004+10:00

A few weeks ago I was leaving the local shopping centre, with a nice hot take-away meal in a bag in my hand, when a woman with a pram approached me. She'd run out of money, she told me, wasn't getting paid until the next day, and needed infant formula. Could I give her some money so she could buy it?

I wasn't totally convinced, but I wasn't totally unconvinced either. She looked reasonably healthy- she didn't seem to have a drug problem. Then again, how would I really know?

I knew that the best thing to do would be to walk down to the supermarket with her and buy the infant formula, but my dinner was hot, I was tired, and just wanted a good sit down on the couch at home. So I just gave her the money and said "I'm trusting you to spend it on formula".

Afterwards it occurred to me that perhaps I should have looked in the pram for the baby - it had been well covered. I was pretty sure that I'd been duped.

Jesus tells us to give to those who ask for money (Matt 5:42), but I assume that he wouldn't be wanting us to encourage another person's dishonesty or drug habit. Any thoughts about how to handle these kinds of situations? What would you have done?

contentment - how much is enough?

2008-07-04T19:24:00.005+10:00

A number of posts ago, Cathy made an astute comment on the danger of being a contented, well educated, westerner. Namely that we can often choose where we place the bar for how much we earn and own. So it is easy for us to slack off and over-consume, all the while telling ourselves that we're very content with all that we have.

This got me wondering: where does the Bible set the bar for material contentedness, assuming that God sets the bar anywhere at all?

I discovered that the bar is very low

"... if we have food and clothing" writes the apostle Paul, "we will be content with that." (1 Tim 6:8)

So I have ample grounds for contentment already. Not only do I have enough food and clothing, I also have money in the bank that can buy me more clothing and food as I need them. Not only so, but I can pick and choose what kind of food and clothing I wear. I may not be able to afford designer labels or organic farm produce all the time, but there is still an inordinate amount of choice in how much I spend and consume.

This is not to mention that I own plenty of things above and beyond food and clothing. A car, musical instruments, we own part of our house (the bank owns the rest), and on the list goes.

So, should I give all these things up and be content with just food and clothing? Well, it's certainly true that I must be prepared as a Christian to give up anything for the sake of Christ. However, I think that what Paul is getting at in the broader context of 1 Tim 6 is that a lack of contentedness drives sin. That is, the more we want material blessings above and beyond food and clothing, the more danger we are in of compromise in our faith in Christ and moral purity.

What might this look like for me?

At the moment, the thought of giving up paid work to have a child is a bit scary. (Yes, I will be taking a break from paid work for a while.) Will we have enough money in the bank? What will it be like to further rein in our spending? Will I compromise caring for our child and being ministry-minded so that we can rake in some more cash? Will I spend too much money on "must have" baby items that aren't necessary, thereby withholding money from other more worthwhile expenditures?

In all of this it will be important for me to trust God to provide what we actually need, and to pray for contentedness with what we actually have. I know I will have to pray for it, because past experience tells me it doesn't come naturally. Just ask my husband sometime how much money I would have spent on our bunnies if it weren't for his moderating influence!

boy, girl, or just one that's healthy?

2008-07-01T17:31:00.006+10:00

Since going public with our news I've had a few conversations that go along these lines...

Do you want a boy or a girl?
We'll take whoever we're given.
Yes, so long as it's healthy...
We'll take whoever we're given.

It's one of those things that people just say, usually without thinking through the implications of what they're saying. We'd like to have a healthy baby, and I can think of a few potential pros and cons of having a boy or a girl, but in the end the baby we have will be the baby that God intends us to have. Our job will be to accept, love and raise whoever God gives us as best we can.

Thankfully God doesn't expect us to justify our space on the planet by being healthy. He loves us just because He loves us. We're all valuable because we're made by Him, and for those of us who are Christians, we know how much He loves us because He sent Christ to save us. (Some good passages to follow up are Gen 9:5-6, Deut 7:7-8, 1 Cor 1:26–31 , 1 John 4:9-10.)

pregnant penguin

2008-06-29T09:50:00.004+10:00

It's good to be back, and I'm back with some news. As the heading suggests, I am expecting a baby. The official due date is Dec 31. I'm hoping that baby doesn't arrive on Christmas or New Year's - it would be hard to share one's birthday with another major celebration - but I know that s/he will arrive at the time s/he deems best.

Now that the second trimester of pregnancy has begun, I'm feeling much better and able to get on with the task of blogging. It's great to have the news public, as it means that I can now blog about being pregnant, which is going to be a fairly big part of life in the next six months or so.

That said, I intend not to blog all the time about pregnancy, and will keep myself limited to a small number of baby-related posts per week. I'll also be including weekly reflections on the book of Hebrews, which I'm studying in depth this semester, as well as the usual random assortment of blog topics that many of you will be used to by now.

taking a break

2008-06-04T18:35:00.003+10:00

The Pilgrim Penguin's health is on the improve, but I have realised that I need to take a break from blogging for a little while. I've missed a few weeks worth of work, and have a conference and holiday coming up in the next month. I plan to be back in action in late June.

If you'd like to be notified when I resume posting, do email me and I'll let you know when I'm up and running again.

an alternative to daytime TV

2008-06-03T20:09:00.004+10:00

Still not quite there for posting on topics of substance. I've been whiling away time playing an online Mahjong solitaire game. (Beware pop up ads!) Daytime TV, apart perhaps from the odd cooking show, has really really lost its charm...

TPP's husband is also sick - his bug turned into laryngitis and a nasty cough. Good thing he isn't preaching this weekend.

Thankfully TPP's Mum has been round for a visit, so we now have enough food to feed a small army. She even brought a specially prepared vegetable bag for the bunnies! Very thoughtful.

sinus infection

2008-05-30T19:23:00.004+10:00

I saw a very cheery doctor today who informed me that I have a sinus infection. Never before have I seen someone so look happy while explaining a treatment as gross as "nasal irrigation". Not going into details here, but for those who are keen, Wikipedia has an entry about it.

Not sure that I'll be rushing to the chemist to buy an irrigation pack, but I have made friends with the delightfully named Fess nasal spray.

Very thankful that I'm now on antibiotics, and, God willing, I'll be feeling better in a few days time.

you know you're watching too much daytime TV when...

2008-05-29T19:16:00.004+10:00

... the tunes you can't get out of your head are ad jingles. Right now it's the acoustic guitar from the "Lite and Easy" commercial.

I'm still fighting off the bug I've had for a few weeks now, and my husband has also come down with it. A household of mild misery. Am off to the doctor tomorrow to see about some antibiotics.

Today I felt indebted to the advice from one of the youth group girls about daytime TV, namely that the midday movies are a great pick. So I put my feet up, set my mind in neutral, and watched a B grade movie about a young college student who gets caught up in organised crime. He learnt many valuable moral lessons from the experience and won the heart of the honest and beautiful daughter of the head of the organised crime ring. Ahh!

Now I'm about to settle back and watch "Stockinger", the daggiest detective on TV. The show is set in Salzburg, where I lived for about eighteen months. I love it.

Hope to write something a little more meaningful soon. Also hope to be watching a lot less TV : )

reading the Bible "chronologically"

2008-05-27T21:07:00.003+10:00

A few years ago I did some intense study of Islam. Part of this involved reading the entire text of the Qu'ran, which isn't a chronologically ordered text. To help me understand it, I looked up a scholar's ordering of the different chapters and read it through accordingly.

After reading all the Qu'ran, I realised that I couldn't be certain that I'd read every single chapter of the Bible. Although Bible knowledge is by no means a pre-requisite for salvation - that comes through Christ alone - it struck me that as a Christian with eight years of tertiary education it was pretty lame if I hadn't read the whole Bible!

So I found a chronological ordering of the Old Testament and am a bit over half way through reading the program. You can find a similar one here.

While I usually prefer reading books of the Bible from start to finish, I've found the chronological approach, which sometimes jumps between books, helpful.

It has filled in the gaps in my knowledge of Bible history
It has increased my confidence in the Bible as an historically accurate and historically coherant document - at points I can compare different accounts of the same events
I am able to see prophecies being fulfilled and worked out, often centuries, or even millenia, after they were initially made (eg. Gen 12:1-3 is still being fulfilled today)

At the moment I am reading sections from 2 Chronicles and Isaiah. This is giving me a much stronger sense of the historical background to Isaiah, which in turn helps me to understand:

why God expresses so much anger over sin in Isaiah (eg. Isaiah 1)
what an incredible relief the promise of God's future saving actions (eg. Isaiah 2:1-5) must have been to a people wearied by centuries of spiritual failure, warfare, and corrupt spiritual and political leadership

If you are hunting around for a Bible reading system, I recommend the chronological approach!

PS Lest anyone mistake me for a Bible reading "guru", I should point out that it has taken me nearly two years to get from Genesis to Isaiah! I am not attempting to stick to a particular number of readings per day or per week, because I find that dated reading systems are a sure recipe for guilt and lapses! I have tentatively set myself a deadline of finishing by the end of this year, but have told myself that if I don't make it, that's ok!

character over looks?

2008-05-27T20:26:00.004+10:00

The votes are in, and it seems that Pilgrim Penguin readers are more impressed by bunny character (Koko Black) than bunny good looks (Honey Bunny). However, I am aware of some vote fixing that went on, with one reader voting from three separate computers!! So maybe take the result with a grain of salt.

One of my favourite time wasting sites on the internet is Disapproving Rabbits - here's a little video offering that appeared today.

cute penguin story

2008-05-25T17:57:00.001+10:00

Cute penguin story here.

evidence from a crime scene

2008-05-24T11:42:00.006+10:00

Observe what I found in the bunnies' hutch this morning. Particularly take note of the colour of the fur. Perhaps Koko Black gives as good, or even better, than she gets...

... and to think that they look so cute, fluffy and innocent!

Eurovision

2008-05-23T21:20:00.004+10:00

I've just watched the first of the semi-finals for the Eurovision song contest. There was a time when I found the whole contest most puzzling. How could cultured people groups, who have given us so much high art, revel in kitsch and glitz? Then I realised that we all need a bit of relief from time to time. Can't have Herbert von Karajan without Benny and Bjorn.

So, who will I vote for on the SBS website? (At least, who will I vote for once the server recovers from too many people trying to access it?) I contemplated voting for the Netherlands because they put forward someone who can actually sing, but ultimately the singing turkey from Ireland has won my heart.

If you don't believe me, check here : )

contentment = being happy with what you've got?

2008-05-23T11:09:00.006+10:00

A number of posts ago I observed that our bunnies think that the food in the other bunny's mouth is much more delicious than the food in their dish. However, this betrays a bunny-misunderstanding. The food in the dish is actually of the same quality as the food in their friend's mouth. Indeed it may even be of higher quality, given that it isn't already part-chewed and covered in saliva.

There's a lot we can learn from this analogy. Often we are so focussed on what others have, that we fail to see the good stuff that we've already got. When I pray in an organised and focussed way, I always start with thanks points for this very reason - so that I remember the good things that I have, and thank the Giver.

However, there is one problem with the "be thankful for what you already have" philosophy. Sometimes the food in the other bunny's mouth is actually more delicious. There are plenty of Australians with more money in their bank account than me (though on a global scale my family is rich rich rich). There are plenty of people who own more nice stuff and live in fancier houses.

What does God say about this?

Well the Bible does locate the secret in contentment in being happy with what you've got, but not in the way that we might automatically think. The apostle Paul actually divorces contentment from the amount of material stuff that he has:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Phil 4:12-13)

The writer to the Hebrews connects contentment with the relationship that Christians have with their all-powerful, loving heavenly Father:

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can human beings do to me?”
(Heb 13:5-6)

In the end, our material possessions only get us so far. They may sometimes protect us from ill-health, boredom, social shame and even death, but they don't always deliver. When we have God, the maker of the universe, on our side what do we have to fear? He is able to provide us with everything that we need in Christ, both now and forever.

which bunny is superior?

2008-05-22T10:26:00.007+10:00

I'm still feeling the after effects of being sick and don't have much brain today, so it feels appropriate to blog about bunnies again.

A few members of our church youth group are divided over the question of which pet bunny of ours is the superior bunny. This is probably the best kind of division one could have at church : )

So here are some descriptions of our bunnies, along with a photo. Please cast your vote as to which bunny is the superior bunny...

Honey Bunny

is extremely cute - has a strong resemblance to Peter Rabbit
is a go getting bunny - has found multiple ways to escape her hutch and is always first to try a new adventure
doesn't mind being patted on ground level but has an aversion to being picked up - we are told this is typical for bunnies - she will bite if she deems it necessary
is bigger than her sister and sometimes uses this to her advantage - she can be a bit of a thug

Koko Black

is cute, but not as cute as Honey Bunny
is a more retiring bunny, doesn't get herself into trouble
isn't a big fan of getting patted on ground level, but tolerates being picked up and the odd cuddle
is a follower, will try things after her sister has tested the waters a few times

the last rose of autumn

2008-05-20T17:25:00.003+10:00

Thankfully, I've started feeling a bit better this afternoon. I wandered out to our backyard to say hello to the bunnies, and discovered on the way that one lone last rose has gone into full bloom.

the results are in

2008-05-19T21:05:00.003+10:00

The Pilgrim Penguin resisted temptation and did not fiddle with the result by voting herself. Here are the results...

One third of voters believe that penguins are evil.

One sixth of voters believe that penguins are not evil, presumably innocent.

One half of voters believe that it depends upon the penguin in question.

The interpretation of results in part depends upon whether one sees the last group as fence sitters, or as accurate observers of penguin character. Whatever we conclude about this group, it does seem that the scales tip in the direction of penguins being evil. Take care next time you go to the zoo.

unwell penguin

2008-05-18T16:09:00.003+10:00

I've caught the dreaded lurgy. Well at least some kind of virus that has left me largely contained to the couch. It isn't all that spectacular in symptoms - sore throat is the main one - but it has sucked away most of my energy. Mentally I'm still reasonably with it so daytime TV is not particularly alluring - on a recent Oprah episode I saw a family being told that they were all overweight because their house was too cluttered! An interesting, if somewhat implausible, chain of cause and effect...

Hope to be better and a fully functional penguin soon.

God and natural disasters

2008-05-16T19:41:00.004+10:00

I'm writing this with some caution, given recent events in Burma and China.

Georgina has asked a great question: what we are to make of natural disasters which cause so much pain, death and destruction, when we also know that they are from the hand of God?

Here's an outline of a biblical response to this:

1 Before humans decided to disobey God, there were no natural disasters in the world as everything worked exactly as it should in perfect harmony (Gen 1-2).

2 As a result of our choice to disobey God, chaos has entered into the world (Gen 3, Rom 5:12; Rom 8:18-25). We are all subject to decay, and the created order isn't exempt. Natural disasters are just one outworking of this chaos in creation.

3 People who suffer and die in natural disasters or accidents are not necessarily any more sinful than others (Luke 13:1-5). Sometimes we suffer directly because of our sin (eg. John 5:1-15), but a lot of bad stuff just happens to people without any rhyme or reason to who is or isn't affected.

4 I'm extrapolating a bit from Luke 13:1-5 here, but I take it that natural disasters should serve as a warning for us to repent. Reminders of our mortality should drive us to make sure that we are right with God.

5 Finally we see that natural disasters aren't God's ultimate intention for us. When we read Rev 21-22 we see a renewed, transformed world where everything works as it should. The curse has been reversed (Gen 3; Rev 22:3).

Now, there is still a big area of mystery. Why does God choose to operate in this way at all? Why some people and not others?

I don't know.

What I can say for sure is that when I look at the start (Gen 1-2) and ultimate fulfilment of creation (Rev 21-22) I see that God is good and has good plans and purposes for His world. When I look at Jesus I see that God suffered in the most costly way possible in order to rescue us from our sin and the chaotic world that resulted from our disobedience.

Does a loving God judge?

2008-05-15T10:25:00.000+10:00

Intuitively, teaching Christians who are struggling to trust God about judgement and hell seems like a really bad idea.

However, over years of working in Christian ministry, and in working through my own struggles, one particular aspect of hell and judgement has struck me as being enormously comforting. It is simply this:

God's judges because He cares.

A few years ago I was chatting with a friend who was studying the history of slavery as part of an arts degree. She was most disturbed because she had been learning about the transportation of slaves from Africa to North America. Some had been left to die of starvation during the voyages across. Had God just forgetten about them? Did God really care? By extension, was God at all concerned about the things that she was going through?

Most arguments for atheism, including one I heard recently from Peter Singer, revolve around unjust human suffering: if God cares about us, why does He allow so much suffering without intervening? Either God doesn't exist, or God is bad.

One facet of a response to this question is to consider the judgement of God.

God does care about wrongdoing, and He cares about it so much that He judges evil. This happened when Christ died on the cross (1 Peter 3:18), it is happening now as He allows people to continue in their sin (Rom 1:18-32), and He will finally and ultimately judge in the future when Jesus returns (Acts 17:31).

The vivid descriptions of the judgement of God in Revelation are not written primarily to scare the living daylights out of us - though this isn't necessarily an improper response to the texts - they are written to comfort and encourage Christians. God will see that justice is done. The Lamb will win (to steal a line from Bewes) and evil and wrongdoing will be done away with. Revelation 19:11-21 is one of my favourite passages in the Bible (well the first half anyway) - Jesus is the triumphant victor who has redeemed His people with His blood, who enacts judgement on all evil. He is the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

God will see that justice is done for the African slaves who died on the boat, God will see that justice is done for children who are abused, God will see that justice is done regarding Burmese officials who refuse aid workers access to their country, to name only a tiny drop from the great ocean of injustices that have been and are being committed in the world.

Of course, we must be careful about being too zealous in calling for God's justice, because we know that if he enacts justice with regard to our lives and doings, we will be in deep deep trouble. We all deserve God's judgement, but God in his kindness takes away the punishment that we deserve in Christ.

Gordon has recently put up a great post that explores the encouragement we can derive from this forgiveness and rescue from hell, called "Hell: a help for depression". It's well worth a read.

evil penguins?

2008-05-12T20:59:00.005+10:00

There is a new optus ad with penguins. This brings joy to my heart.

However, I have noted that they appear to be rapper, gangsta-type penguins. I'm starting to wonder if there's a bit of an issue with the public image of the penguin.

Two further examples:

Feathers McGraw, the gun toting master of disguise from Wallace and Gromit

The criminally insane penguins from Madagascar

Should the Pilgrim Penguin be concerned?

it's enough to make you sick...

2008-05-11T19:22:00.005+10:00

The Pilgrim Penguin has caught a virus and has spent today on the couch at home and will need to take at least another day off work. This is a bit of a downer. However, to brighten the day a little, she is going to share something from her reading. Be warned however, that you should not read this post while eating...

Alice Thomas Ellis quotes from a letter written to her:

"You throw doubt, tinged with scorn, on the efficacy of mice as a specific for children. In 1920 when I was four years old an old woman who lived near my family in Radlett and whom I used to visit on every occasion I could find, would give me sugar mice to eat.

These were made by skinning mice, which she had caught in an ordinary mousetrap, emptying them and then tying them by the tail to a wooden spoon where they were suspended into a strong sugar syrup in a cast iron saucepan over a slow heat. After some hours (or days) the mice became crystallised and, when they were cold, she would give me one to eat.

They were delicious and even the bones were crisp and edible (not unlike the bones in a mature tin of sardines). I remember her saying that I would never have chest trouble if I ate these 'sweetmeats'. I am now over seventy and have had little to complain about health-wise as one says these days, in the years between these delightful treats and now." (page 31 Fish, Flesh and Good Red Herring)

To think we wasted all our mice by poisoning them!!

bunnies are just like people: 2nd installment

2008-05-09T19:14:00.008+10:00

Today the rabbits escaped from their hutch, again.

The larger of our two bunnies, Honey Bunny, is a kind of bunny Houdini. Today's escape involved a combination of tunneling under the hutch and moving bricks that had been placed to prevent escape! (She looks cute, doesn't she?!)

Getting them back in the hutch before they've had a run around seems unkind to me, so we blocked off the exits to our yard and gave them a lengthy playtime before I returned them to their hutch late this afternoon. However this meant that I had to commit to keeping an eye on them all day.

What the bunnies fail to understand is that we keep them confined for good reasons. There are numerous threats to their safety outside the hutch: cars on the road, mouse poison under the house, a large neighbourhood cat population and a vicious sounding dog that lives next door.

So what tenuous link will I draw between rabbits and us? Well I reckon that the way we relate to God is sometimes a bit like how the bunnies relate to me. The bunnies assume that they know what's best for them, but their knowledge is sadly limited. If they had been allowed to do as they pleased today there is every chance that one or both of them would have met a sticky end.

Sometimes it's hard to understand why God gives Christians particular guidelines for living in the Bible. Some of the commands seem really old-fashioned, and out of step with standards that most other people have.

While I can come up with reasons for most of God's commands to us, there are some where I don't know anything approaching the full story. These commands call for trust and obedience just as much as the ones I can explain do.

The analogy does break down of course, because God is much greater in his love for us than I am in my love for my rabbits (though I most certainly do care for them). Also the difference between God's knowledge and my knowledge is much greater than the difference between my knowledge and that of a fluffy bunny.

I would like it if our bunnies displayed a little more trust and obedience toward us as their owners, after all, we are not nasty killjoys!

How much more should Christians trust and obey our loving, all-knowing Father.

a cure for anxiety?

2008-05-08T09:55:00.004+10:00

I've just started reading "Fish, Flesh and Good Red Herring" which we received as a housewarming gift last year from Jane. It's all about housekeeping and health manuals from times gone by, and is a ripper of a read.

Take for example this "cure" for women suffering from what we would probably now call depression or anxiety:

"W. B. Tegetmeier, a lecturer in Domestic Economy, claimed that a fit of hysterics 'is generally increased by any expression of sympathy' and suggests 'a very effectual mode of cure' which consists of dipping a towel in cold water ... and striking smartly with one end of it on the upper part of the chest.'" (page 17 - check out shelfari below for details)

While the cure is kinda funny - imagine going to a psychologist or psychiatrist for medication or talking therapy only to be hit smartly with a wet towel - it also makes me really thankful that as a society we've moved on in our understanding of mental health and in our sympathy for those suffering from mental illness.

I'm a fan of the following websites which offer real help to people suffering from mental illness

Beyond Blue

SANE

Feeling Like This - a Christian website based in the UK

One of my serious interests - the Pilgrim Penguin isn't only obsessed with bunnies and mice in the cupboard - is thinking about how Christians deal with and teach about mental illness. More soon...

And I thought I was wasting time writing a blog...

2008-05-05T20:27:00.004+10:00

Enjoy!

You can see more of this here.

pilgrim penguin 2 : mice 1

2008-05-04T11:46:00.004+10:00

For the blog entry which gives background to this post, click here.

I am claiming victory in the battle to evict the mice population from our home. I have used a combination of thick silver tape and steel wool to plug the gaps in our under sink cupboard. I have also thoroughly disinfected the cupboard and put some tape over a mouse sized gap in the floorboards near the pantry.

It's not aesthetically pleasing, but I feel a sense of satisfaction and cleanliness every time I open the cupboard to put something in the bin.

: )

bunnies are just like people: 1st installment

2008-05-02T19:14:00.005+10:00

Now I have already had at least two scientifically minded people pull me up on my idea that bunnies are just like people, however I hope to prove this point over a number of entries on this blog.

Observe the two bunnies below...

They are sisters who have known one another since the womb. In this picture it looks like they are both they are very close and snuggly with one another. They could even be about to give one another a sisterly bunny kiss.

However, looks can be deceiving. What the picture fails to reveal - I blame my unsteady hand, the fact that it's a dodgy phone camera and the not entirely co-operative attitude of the subjects - is that one bunny is eating food from the mouth of the other bunny. It would appear that there is a bunny maxim that goes something like this...

The food in the other bunny's mouth is far more delicious than the food in the dish.

As you will gather from the picture, these are not starving bunnies.

What the bunnies are doing is really just a slightly less sophisticated version our own behaviour. We can think that the stuff that other people have, or the lives that they lead, are way more exciting than what we've got. It can even get to the point where we can't see the good things that we have, because we're so fixated on other people's lives and possessions.

Well I don't hold great hopes for modifying the behaviour of our bunnies, but I do hope that I can learn to grow in contentment (Phil 4:11-12; 1 Tim 6:6). There is plenty of room for me to grow in that department. To that end I have agreed to write a print article about it in the next month or two so that I can think harder about what it means to be content, and hopefully encourage myself and others in that path. I'll keep you all posted about with any major breakthroughs.

I also plan to continue anthropomorphising the bunnies.

"The Biggest Loser"

2008-05-01T15:06:00.005+10:00

The last three evenings I have been feeling bereft: "The Biggest Loser" is no longer on telly! Now, my feelings of loss may come as a surprise to those who know me personally. Usually I'm more of an opera, symphony orchestra, art gallery type, not really one who would addictively watch reality TV. Nonetheless I love TBL. I'm really looking forward to the grand finale tonight.

So, what on earth do I see in it?

Firstly it's fascinating watching people interact in the hothouse environment of "the white house", but the focus of the show means that we are spared much of the minutia and crassness of other reality TV programs. This season I particularly enjoyed seeing how much of a difference it makes when people exercise a reasonable level of maturity, kindness and loyalty. While the red team imploded in a sea of nastiness and back biting, the blue team powered on: the finalists competing tonight are all blue team members.

I also love a good story of transformation, and that's what TBL is all about. Everyone goes in morbidly obese, and most come out the other side looking slim and glamorous. Of course there's an awful lot of hyperbole around this: talk of changing lives forever and people being able to do anything that they want now that they've lost weight.

Losing lots of weight does change a person's health and general outlook massively. I know this from personal experience, having once been a rather hefty penguin who lost over 30 kilos and kept it off. However, the loss hasn't changed my life forever - I will still grow old and eventually die, even if I do keep the weight off. Nor have I found myself able to do anything that I put my mind to as I result of losing weight.

We all need something more than what TBL can offer. Weight loss brings some benefits for a while, but it's only in Christ that we can have life to the fullest, life which goes on beyond death (John 5:24; John 10:10).

PS Who do I think is going to win? I reckon it'll be between Sam and Kirsten, though Sam definitely has the physiological advantage of being young and male.

Who do I want to win? Alison, because she's the dark horse and is just so darn nice.

vague

2008-04-28T21:20:00.007+10:00

Today I left home slightly late and missed the train by roughly 20 seconds. This meant that I'd be late to my Bible study group and I hunted around for my mobile phone to contact a co leader and sms an apology. The mobile didn't seem to be in my bag so I went to the public phone to call my husband and ask him to hunt for it at home.

Soon after he answered I realised that there was one last pocket to check in the bag and located the mobile. After the mobile phone issue was sorted he had the presence of mind to ask me why I was catching the train. I usually drive on Mondays. It had completely slid my mind!! Had I driven I would have arrived on time.

The cherry on the cake was realising later that I'd left my Bible at home.

Hopefully I've packed at least a few weeks of vagueness into the one day, and I will be a model of organisation for a while.

gender stereotyping?

2008-04-27T16:11:00.004+10:00

I can hear a most unusual noise emanating from my living room as I sit in the study and type. There is the sound of a footy game on the TV, the noise of the commentators and crowd in the background, with the additional sounds of young fellas making comments along with the odd cheer or two.

These are most unusual sounds, because I have been blessed with a husband who rarely tunes in to the footy. He's doing a Paul (1 Cor 9:20) and watching the footy with a bunch of blokes from our church youth group. It's "boys' afternoon" which means that I am hiding out in my study, a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Next week will be "girls' afternoon" and we'll be getting together to cook food and learn about God's invitation to his heavenly banquet (Luke 14:15-24). We're encouraging the girls to bring along friends - for those who pray, please shoot up a few for this event.

When we organise and run events like this I sometimes get nervous about gender stereotyping - I did study humanities at uni in the 1990s after all - and when the boys watch footy and the girls cook together I wonder if we're just perpetuating unhelpful stereotypes. After all, there's nothing in the Bible about football being exclusively for boys, or cooking being exclusively for girls. If anything we have at least one precedent for the blokes cooking and eating together (John 21:9-14).

However, what is evident is that split gender events work well and are often a highlight in the church calendar. We're not choosing the activity sections of the afternoons with a particular agenda, we're tapping in to what the kids are already interested in. There is something of a buzz among the younger teenage girls around baking together and I'm already a little nervous as to what they might do in and to our kitchen!

So we're sticking with occasional split gender events and I'm shelving my concerns about stereotypes - after all stereotypes are usually true, and I'd much rather eat cake than watch footy!!

Pilgrim Penguin goes live

2008-04-26T10:39:00.004+10:00

The Pilgrim Penguin has been quietly hiding out on the internet, having only given her husband the internet address of her blog. Today that is changing. She has worked out that if she continues in hiding the temptation not to write, or to write exclusively about my vegetable patch (a worthy topic nonetheless) will be strong, perhaps even overpowering.

So here goes... Welcome to those reading this for the first time.

mousy mousy

2008-04-23T09:33:00.006+10:00

We are dealing with an unpleasant infestation. It all began a few weeks ago when we heard a rustling in our rubbish bin as we ate our breakfast cereal. A mouse had managed to push out the steel wool I'd used to stuff the holes in the back of the cupboard where the bin resides, and had fallen into the bin.

I felt sorry for it on a number of counts:

Firstly the mouse couldn't get out of the bin and had been unsuccessfully trying to climb out, potentially for an entire night.

Further, it hadn't benefited from its efforts in the slightest. The bin had nothing in it save one empty packet of chocolate teddy bear biscuits.

Finally, mousy met a sticky end at the hands of my husband. We have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy concerning the destruction of pests around the house so I know none of the details. I can only presume that it was swift and painless.

We are now seeking to kill the mouse population with "talon" poison. We've stuck a little cube of it in the cupboard with the bin, and one in a hard to reach (humanly speaking) corner of the pantry. Thankfully the one in the pantry hasn't been touched. However the one near the bin has been nibbled and moved around a lot. The poison can take up to two weeks to knock them off, so we'll need to be a bit patient.

We will also need to find ways to reassure visitors who hear strange banging noises coming from our kitchen cupboards. Last night at a Bible study we were hosting, a soon to be dead mouse decided that it was going to noisily play with the cube of talon during a moment of quiet discussion about the application of a potentially sensitive passage from the Bible (Col 3:18-4:1). We had split the group down gender lines for this time and I think that the lack of male voices in the room meant that mousy felt emboldened to have a play.

After 10-15 minutes of hoping it would settle down, I fessed up to the girls about the noise. Thankfully no one was too grossed out and one of them reassuringly told a story about mice that can scale the outer wall of ten story apartment blocks in the country that she originally comes from. It puts a few little ones in the under sink cupboard into perspective.

the moral perfection of Jesus

2008-04-16T09:12:00.005+10:00

Yesterday I listened to Peter Singer, a well known ethicist, make some comments about the flaws he perceives in Jesus' morality. He mentioned three difficulties that he has:

1) Jesus curses a fig tree (Mark 11:12-25)

2) Jesus sends evil spirits into a herd of pigs and sends them over the edge of a cliff (Mark 5:1-20)

3) Jesus' ethic of not resisting evil isn't workable in today's society because people will simply take advantage of each other (Matt 5:38-42).

He had misunderstood the import of the first two passages that he used. The cursing of the fig tree was not a childish outburst of anger, but an enacted parable against God's people who were not bearing fruit as they ought. In sending the pigs over the cliff Jesus showed his authority over all creation, including evil spirits and animals that were considered unclean. For the Christian who believes that Jesus is co-author of creation, it is not a huge problem to see that he has absolute authority over all of it, including pigs. The tender-hearted among us may feel temporarily a little sorry for the pigs (after all I am the owner of two fluffy pet rabbits) but I can't see that drowning them is morally wrong. Not to mention that, unlike Singer, I eat bacon!

Finally, upholding an ethical standard that doesn't work because people don't or can't keep it is not a sign of moral imperfection. Just because I can't stick to a particular standard, doesn't mean that the standard is wrong. Also, in telling us to love our enemies, Jesus is not condoning their behaviour. God hates exploitation and demands love for him and for others (Matt 22:36-40, or see the book of Amos for an extended examination of God's views about people exploiting one another).

It's encouraging that Singer, with his formidable intellect, was not able to find flaws in Jesus that I thought had any substance.

my vegie patch

2008-04-11T15:25:00.016+10:00

There's clover in my vegie patch and I'm having trouble getting rid of it. While many deliberately planted seeds fail to thrive, the clover is running amok. Yesterday I spent over an hour plucking it out by hand, only to find today that it has sprung up again, albeit in smaller amounts. I put its presence down to having used soiled hay from the bunnies' hutch as compost - some seeds must have snuck in.

On a happier note, following a friend's advice I planted the white section of supermarket bought spring onions in some dirt out the back. It's worked a treat. I popped them in only a few days ago, and they're sprouting up nicely now.

getting started

2008-04-06T22:24:00.001+10:00

I've spent all evening getting this blog up and running, am writing now so that I have a little something to show for all my work. More soon...