No Airbrush Please

Nigella Lawson is one of my favourite TV chefs, I quite enjoy watching her TV show and getting ideas for tasty food that I could prepare. Recently I read some news that gave me much joy. Nigella is on a show called the Taste in America and they have a photo of her and other chefs as part of the promo and they asked her if they could airbrush her tummy out. And she said no.

On her blog shes writes:

“Although it was very thrilling to think of being up on a billboard in LA and around the States, I was very strict and English and told them they weren’t allowed to airbrush my tummy out. Wise? Hmmm. But that tum is the truth and is come by honestly, as my granny would have said.”

When I read this I felt like there was some sanity in this insane world. There was a bit of reality in the plastic, super thin glossy magazines.

It’s crazy to think that when we look at a picture it may not be of the real person, but instead a person that’s had computer surgery which will magically remove the lines, the fat and curves and the humanness. So then we see a hollow image of perfection, a distortion of beauty and we think that’s what we should strive for.

I hate playing this game. A game of looking in the mirror and thinking I am not the image of the ladies in the magazines or on TV. The world demands you look like someone who has only eaten bread and water for the last 10 years. It demands perfect make-up and designer face-lifts. No one wants to get old and have lines to prove it. No one wants curves. But we are sold a lie in all of this. The women in front of us are not real. The real women have warts and curves and bags under the eyes. And whats so bad about that? Each line tells a story. An experience.

There are young girls who look in the mirror and then back at the magazines. They clutch their stomachs and think they are ugly. I want to scream at them and tell them that they are not ugly, they are loved beyond looks and the person who loves them thinks they are beautiful – with warts, baggage and sin. He thinks they are so beautiful that he died for them. Those magazines are lying – they promise the world but they will only leave you unsatisfied. Jesus promises you himself and will never leave you.

“But that tum is the truth and is come by honestly, as my granny would have said.”

I am glad Nigella said this. I am glad she is proud of how she looks and doesn’t mind the bumps and curves. It’s nice to see a bit of truth for a change!

Jesus came Eating and Drinking

I have had the pleasure of writing a guest blog post on our church’s blog about Jesus and his ministry of food and how we as a community can do the same thing – inviting people for food and to hear the Good News of Jesus!

Here is a snippet of the post, but please do read more here.

All throughout Luke’s Gospel Jesus seems to be eating or seems to be at parties. Jesus enjoyed meals with other people and often it’s during those times that he spoke parables, broke stereotypes, included the outcasts and ministered to the people. Tim Chester has written a book called “A meal with Jesus” and he quotes Robert karris saying that “In Luke’s Gospel Jesus is either going to a meal, at a meal, or coming from a meal”. Jesus’ ministry in Luke’s Gospel revolves around food and he knows how to use meal times well to build relationships and to share his good news.

Grant then did a brilliant preach on how we are invited to the feast and how we invite others as well. Please do have a listen to this talk when you have some time to spare.

Also, on the subject of hospitality and inviting people in. Recently there was a great blog on the Fusion website where Miriam Swaffield and Pipa Elmes was given the task to host a dinner party and invite everyone and anyone in york to come and be fed and also a chance for them to chat to them about Jesus. Do watch the video below about it, I think its brilliant and check out the blog post to find out more!

Highlights from the London Mission

Here are some of my highlights from the London mission:

1. Being in London and enjoying how big things are, how diverse people are and how much culture there is!

2. Working with SOAS students

3. Chatting with loads of international students during the day – we had some really great conversations.

4. Sharing the Gospel with students

5. A girl becoming a Christian at the evening events

6. Meeting a fellow blogger and someone who reads my blog! (It was nice to meet you!)

7. Surprise visit from Sarah

8. Listening to Krish speak about Jesus and films

9. Being with the London Team

10. Hearing the Gospel reading in Spanish.

The Breaking of Bread

So, I have a question which has been burning in my mind ever since I was a young Christian and its been raised again when I read “A meal with Jesus” by Tim Chester. My question is about communion/breaking of bread. I want to know why we do it so differently to how Jesus did it and how the apostles and churches in Acts did it? You may think I am crazy, but I am reading the times when the people came to the Lords supper/communion/breaking of bread and it certainly isn’t the way we do it in church.

Lets have a look at how they broke bread:

Jesus and the disciples:

So at the last supper Jesus was celebrating the passover meal and we know from Exodus that they would have been eating lamb and unleavened bread:

“Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. ⁴ If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are…⁶Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight…That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.” Exodus 12:3-8

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed…. When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. – Luke 22:7&14

Ok so Jesus was eating the passover lamb and also the bread and drinking wine and they were also sitting at a table. It was a meal. So ok, the passover lamb is Jesus and that means we no longer need to slaughter a lamb because the sacrifice has been made. However It is strange how we no longer sit at a table and eat a meal together. Instead we pass around small squares of bread and a cup of wine that you can only have a sip of. Strange, I dont think I would call that a meal.

Ok what about the early church?
Well one example I want to look at is Paul rebuking the Corinthians about the Lords supper. He says:

So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, ²¹ for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk…So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together.- 1 Corinthians 11:20-33

Now when I read that, those Corinthians were getting rebuked for eating way too much and drinking too much wine which resulted in some not getting any food and going hungry and others getting drunk. There is no way they could do any of this from a slice of bread and a sip or thimble size glass of wine!! It must mean they had a real meal with real food. And Paul doesn’t say stop eating a meal together but he says to wait so everyone can eat together.

It’s odd how we have changed this so much! Why don’t we for the Lords supper gather around a table and eat good food and drink good wine (or grape juice) and then break bread and take the wine in remembrance of what Christ has done on the Cross? Think of the context that this would be in: family together, cultures together, rich and poor side by side eating, laughing, enjoying conversation, enjoying food the Lord has made and rejoicing in what Christ has done. Not only does this meal point back to what Jesus has done but it also points forward to this:

“Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” – Revelation 19:9

There is going to be a wedding and a wedding supper! There is going to be a feast, with eating! And I think that possibly means there will be more food then a slice of bread and thimble of wine and we wont stand in rows and not talk to each other… don’t you think?

It seems what we do now is no supper at all. Which is odd because we talk a lot about how Christianity is relational and not religious, however the way we do communion isnt exactly relational but comes across very religious. Therefore people who are not Christians will gaze on this and think that this is just a religious thing we do. But if we had a meal together which is very relational, they would see the warmth, the joy, the giving to the poor, the acceptance of all people who are in Christ and they will not see anything religious in it but they will see something very loving and Christ like!

So why don’t we eat together? Even if your church is 500, then break into smaller groups and enjoy a meal and fellowship and rejoice at what the Lord has done for you. Considering the “Son of man came eating and drinking” it seems strange that his bride does not do the same!

23 Days Left

23 Days to go and what am I looking forward to? Christmas presents? A day off with family? Yes but also something more… So you may look at the human race and think why? Why did the Father send his son to us to die considering we turn to idols and things that fade away. The place that gives me a glimpse of the Fathers heart in all of this is Hosea 2v16-20:

“And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. 18 And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. 19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

Why? Because the church is a Bride and we are betrothed to the Son and all in love, mercy and faithfulness. We don’t deserve it. But soon we can call the Son our husband… ! There will be a wedding feast and so in 23 days time what am I looking forward to? Well the reminder of the Brides husband being born and a wedding feast to take place in the future. Just as I eat my turkey and stuffing, it reminds me of a better feast to come. (without sprouts I hope!)

Currently Reading: A meal with Jesus

This is what I am reading at the moment.

Its brilliant. Here are some quotes:

 

Simon’s attitude to this woman exposes his heart.  It’s always like that.  ’Difficult’ people have a habit of exposing our hearts… Whenever we look down on someone for being smelly or disorganised or lazy or emotional or promiscuous or socially inept or bitter, then we’re like graceless Simon.  And if we look down on people for not understanding grace, then we are like graceless Simon.  If you’re thinking about how this applies to someone else, then you’re like Simon.  Jesus says to us, ‘If you look down on others, you love little, because you understand so little of your sin and my grace.’

Tim Chester, on Luke 7 (from ‘A Meal With Jesus’)

Church leaders are family leaders and must prove their ability to manage their own households before they can manage the household of God.  One of the requirements for elders is that they must be ‘hospitable’ (1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:8, see Romans 16:23).  Consider that many requirements churches typically lay down for leaders (like a theology degree) are not required by Paul in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.  But what Paul does require is that they be hospitable.  Perhaps this was because church meetings were family meals.  How could you lead a meal-meeting if you weren’t hospitable?  How could you extend the generous welcome of the gospel if you didn’t welcome people into your home?

- Tim Chester, ‘A Meal With Jesus’

Collection of Webs (6)

A really funny video about Twitter and the Return of Christ. A little sad as well.

An amazing christian blog – “This is not my home” that I just came across through another blog. There are some brilliant recipes that I hope to try!!

A wonderful overview of the bible drawn by my friend Tim. I just think its brilliant!

The King’s English. A wonderful blog and a great post about the trinity. Here is a quick glimpse:

“Many Christians consider the Trinity to be a mathematical problem, an artificial scaffolding and an obscurity that masks the simple teaching of Jesus.  Yet to think this way is to deny the very Person and teaching of Jesus.”

A funny cartoon on how computers bring less clutter to our lives…yet we seem to lose something at the same time.

What is the CU?

Well Freshers week is over and this week I had a chance to do the first CU talk of the year with all the new freshers and I got to speak on “What is CU?” Many freshers will come to the first CU meeting and have ideas about what CU is or in fact a lot of second and third years may have their own ideas too. This was a real opportunity for me to try to set the tone straight away and here is a glimpse of what I said about CU -

What is the CU?

The Christian Union is a fellowship of Christians from all different churches coming together in order to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ on campus all year round. As the CU we are committed to inviting non Christians to hear about Jesus and make a response.

What does that look like?

Firstly we go out from our churches on to campus. CU isn’t a church, CU is an arm of the church – a mission team on campus. If we want to reach people on campus then we need to be a part of the local church and then come onto campus ready for mission.

As we go onto campus we go out into our courses, halls and societies and we join those communities and we share our lives with the people there, we have friends that are from different faiths, cultures and backgrounds. We become a part of campus life.

Don’t just be a part of the CU, for the CU to work you need to be out in the world. Salt and Light. So that we can love them, not as projects but as people made in Gods image and we enjoy eating with them and sharing our lives with them, just as Jesus ate and drank with people.

As we build relationships we can then give opportunities to present the Gospel so that everyone has a chance to hear about Jesus. And that’s through having conversations over meals through small group, Globe dinners, lunchbars and reading Luke’s gospel with our non Christian friends. We don’t want to shove the Gospel down their throat; but we want them to have a chance to hear about Jesus and his amazing love for them. We will do that through our relationships and by inviting them along to events that share the Gospel. So we can see lives changed through what Jesus has done on the cross.

And when people hear the Gospel and respond and become Christians we don’t just leave them in CU. But we invite them into the local church, so that they can come and eat with Jesus and have fellowship with other Christians and the church family.

In summary?

1. Go out and share our lives with people, be a part of societies, pray, be salt and light, hang out with non Christians. Love them well.
2. Give opportunities for our friends to hear the Gospel. Invite friends to various events and meals that CU put on. Keep loving them even if they don’t respond.
3. Invite our friends into the Local church

Christianity is about the mundane too

The Mundane. In our western culture we try to escape from this word with as much entertainment and excitement as possible. The horror of doing ordinary things of everyday should be replaced with something extraordinary. If your life is mundane then you are not living it well or to its max. Sometimes that seeps into our Christian thinking too. God wants to do something spectacular in our lives, he wants to push us to the edge, he wants us to get off our pews and do something exciting – “don’t waste your life“. That is true enough, we can waste our lives doing many things and yet if you think about it, life is made up of the Mundane and the Christian life too and it’s not always a waste.

Just came across a brilliant quote by friend Ed Goode after he done a preach:

“One minute you’re exhorting people with the greatest truths in the universe, and then you come home and empty the dishwasher.”

You would think that life should be more than this. And he goes on to talk about his struggles and questions in preaching. But what struck me was how mundane life is, not just his obviously, but all Christians. The dishwasher needs to be emptied, the rubbish to be taken out, the washing machine to be loaded, the dinner to be cooked. Just everyday life and it feels boring and it feels mundane and it feels like we should be doing more as a Christian. But I want to hit the pause button because the Christian life is not having every waking moment doing evangelism, or doing bible studies, or preaching at church, or going to Christian conferences. We are sometimes so scared of not doing those things because we don’t want to be in the silence of everyday life where you are left wondering, “Is this it?”.

Yet the great beauty of the mundane everyday is that God wonderfully uses it and speaks through it. When at University I had more conversations about Jesus while cooking a meal with my hallmates then I probably had at a CU lunchbar. I get to know my students better as a Staff worker while I dry up cups in the kitchen with them then I do at a Conference. Why? Because its life and we are doing life together and we are doing the mundane together. You preach and then you empty the dishwasher knowing that Christ is displayed in both.

The Christian life is about the mundane because that’s where we are doing real life and we can share it with people and invite people into our mundane lives and not feel like it’s any less than preaching.

So next week I will go to Forum and have a good time meeting students and catching up with people. Hopefully I will proclaim Christ well (only by his Grace!) and then I will come home to my husband and we will cook together and then I will do some washing because my clothes will smell and then at the weekend we will have friends over who will eat with us, wash up together, drink coffee, go for walks and do mundane things and share life and it will be no less good or “Christian” then going to a Christian conference or preaching, but Christ will still shine through it all.

Baking Bread

The new addition to our kitchen is a wonderful breadmaker!! It can’t quite make enough to feed 5,000 but it is still yummy and the two of us can eat it! Have a look at the bread we made:

Our first Loaf