I first published this post way back in January, in the middle of summer. I’m publishing it again, with some slight editing, for my Northern Hemisphere readers.

 

 

I’m 1/16th Danish. In the 1870s, great-great-grandpa Detlef came to Australia, married an English-born woman and more than 100 years later I came along. It’s hardly anything, really. Certainly not enough to say I have strong Danish heritage. But Danish history and culture intrigue me. One thing about Danish culture I’ve been hearing a lot about recently, that stirs up something deep within my ancestral blood, is hygge. It’s difficult to get an exact translation into English, but it’s something to do with being cosy and peaceful. About slowing down and connecting. About finding contentment within the simple things of life.

 

Continue reading “Summer hygge from a 1/16th Dane”

Our intention is to do one cuisine night each month. May was such a busy month though, that we couldn’t even find time. On 1st June, we finally got our Portuguese cuisine night in – and only two weeks later, it was time for our June one. With the cold weather coming in, I’ve recently fallen in love with beef goulash. The rich, smoky flavours and tender beef are just exquisite. So, why not try the home of the goulash? Hungarian cuisine!

 

 

Continue reading “Our Hungarian cuisine night”

This is the third post in the Ways to Worship series, where we look at different ways to read the Bible.

 

 

 

Google Maps is a blessing for directionally-challenged people like me. Yesterday, my husband and I were driving to a suburb so recently built, it wasn’t on our GPS. We turned, therefore, to Google Maps. At first, we needed to zoom out and look at the big-picture map, to see how we could get from one side of Sydney to the other. As we got closer, though, our focus shifted and I zoomed the map in to look more closely at the details – the street names, any surrounding landmarks. Two different approaches to the same map. Reading the Bible can be the same. We can look at the big picture, or we can zoom in and focus on the smaller details. Our method today – verse mapping – is all about the details, about observing close up.

 

Continue reading “Ways to Worship | Verse Mapping”

It’s hard to believe that this is the final week of my Finding I AM Bible study. I want to say thanks to Ashley at Set my Heart on You for suggesting we read through this book. I have found it so enriching and so relevant to my life at the moment. In this final week we’re looking at Jesus as the True Vine.

 

 

Continue reading “Finding I AM – Week 5 | The True Vine”

Again we’ve reached the 2^nd Monday of the month. I’m joining with Erin and the blogging ladies for our online tea/coffee date.

 

 

Continue reading “If we met for tea | Vol. 5”

This is the second post in the Ways to Worship series. Please join us as we look at different ways to worship God through reading the Word.

 

 

 

 

I have a confession to make. Once when I was a very little girl, I went more than a week without having a shower. I could probably get away with that then, but I wouldn’t even dream of it now. We can’t just shower once and then expect to be clean from then on – we need to clean ourselves each day, washing away the dirt and keeping fresh. The Bible speaks of our spirits being washed in the word, being transformed by the living word of God. We need to spend time in the word each day to keep our hearts and minds cleansed and focused on the things of God – it can’t be merely an occasional thing. Just as we use soap to keep our bodies clean, I use the SOAP Bible study method for my daily Bible reading times.

 

Continue reading “Ways to Worship | S.O.A.P”

I’m four weeks into the Finding I Am Bible study, and this week is about Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life. I find that as I’ve been reading through this book, my desire to connect with God through his word has grown stronger.

 

 

Continue reading “Finding I AM – Week 4 | The Resurrection Life”