Waste not, want not – I

Posted on by Beth

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Both my parents grew up in the UK in the Second World War: Mum in Oxford, where her mother took in evacuees and then later also billeted soldiers. Dad grew up in Glasgow, and with his Broccoli 2sister, Belle, evacuated to a poultry farm . Consequently, we grew up constantly hearing, “waste not, want not”.  Little was thrown away.

So, last Friday, I was making quiches.  One of the fillings was broccoli and blue cheese. Having cut off the florets, I was left with this beautiful, thick broccoli stem.

Compostbucket2014Too good to put into the compost bucket, I thought; and it was a cold, cold day.

Soup is always a good lunch during winter, and a vegetable soup relatively quick to make. So, why not turn the stem into broccoli soup?

Here’s what I did: chopped an onion and sautéd it in a little butter, and then added about a table spoon of…

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There has to be a lesson in this…

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Last year a tree fell in our older daughter’s back yard and had to be removed.  The family knew there was a wren’s nest under the back deck near where the tree had been; however, there was no choice but to remove the tree and grind the stump so the grass could be replanted.  As the tree service was pulling down branches and cutting up the wood, two baby birds tried to fly away before they were quite feathered for the task. They landed on the ground and died.

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IT MOVED ME TO TEARS

Posted on by Beth
Magic Flying Carpet
Magic Flying Carpet

Like most idealists who come to India for the first time, we initially expected to see a storybook land of maharajas, magic carpets, temples and mosques to inspire our imaginations. However, living here on the ground with the people is far different than just touching the tarmac, going to a posh hotel and chronicling a visit with photographs once or twice a year. There is a harsh reality of having three times the number of people the US census claims all squashed into one-third the land space. To get some idea of what it really is, multiply your family by three and then imagine two-thirds less living space!  Or multiply your family by nine in the same living space.  That’s mind boggling.

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PURE RELIGION (part 3)

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KEEPING OURSELVES UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD

“Pure religion and undefiled before (the) God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world (James 1:27).

We should always be aware of impurities in our lives and be seeking the Lord to show us how to get rid of them. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1).

Continue reading PURE RELIGION (part 3)

PURE RELIGION (part 2)

Posted on by Beth

HELPING THE NEEDY

“Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy” (Prov. 31:9).

A second necessary characteristic of those who seek to have a pure religion is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction. “Pure religion and undefiled before (the) God and the Father is this, to visit (1980 – literally to inspect) the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).

Continue reading PURE RELIGION (part 2)