Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Muslim Work in South Africa

Please, please, please.... take the time to read the article Islamic Dawa and Humanitarian Aid in Africa on page 11 of the March/April edition of the Barbnabus Fund Magazine! It is well worth the effort of downloading the magazine!


http://barnabasfund.org/AU/Resources/Barnabas-Aid-magazine/

BFAid March-April 2009.pdf (2.4MB)
BFAid_March_April_2009_1


We as Westernised Christians need to wake up to the fact that we have some responsiblity to care for the poor, orphans and widows in the rest of the world....if we don't the Muslims will! I am continually shocked at the lowering of standards in South Africa. When I did social work there before my 19year old was born, there was a high standard in child care. Now I hear of governement social workes bringing children to a home without the 'adequate accomodation' , Socila workers bring children to live in shipping containers, if there is warm love and kindness shown to the children.

Monday, January 4, 2010

What do we do in the school holidays?

Summer is so hot here... so we spend a lot of time indoors. Winter is our outdoor time instead. You may wonder what we do at home in the holidays without school? All the middle children play Zoombinies (a computer program to teach logic) Our 7 year old has just clicked too and is giving it a try. Music Ace Delux ( A very fun music theory computer program) that all the middle children do. More Starfall, an Internet based program is popular with the little ones, as is the jolly phonic DVD...okay it's 'school work' but my little kids don't seem to mind:) They also like Snakes and Ladders. Favourite board game is Settlers. Favourite 10 and up family game is Dictionary, based on the same idea of Bolderdash, but just doing it using a dictionary and paper. Favourite game where two play together is Mancanna, an African game. Marbles runs are fun as is K-nex, we have a Ferris Wheel that I got from a second hand shop very cheaply, we haven't done it this holiday yet though. Art things are always favourites...anything the kids can do on their own, they are free to help themselves to.

I have recently painted black board paint on some parts of our wall and this provides a lot of fun (and chalk dust). Roller coaster Tycoon is also played on the computer, if I allow time for it. And then of course reading, we have a good library at church and a good public library in case our own supplies dwindle! This morning we also listened to a the sermon some of us downloaded from the Internet yesterday as some missed it and it was very good indeed. I think we will try and do more in the holidays. http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/BySeries/1/

Jonathan and Emma are actually doing school work, the younger as she needs to not forget what learned so far as it takes such a huge effort to get anywhere...she has added recorder to her school work! Jonathan just has such a heavy work load for his final year, so he is trying to keep going! And them of course we always have friends popping over to keep us happy. Last but not lease I am sewing - yippee. I hope to help children sew too sometime soon! Of course the usual cooking, baking and cleaning etc are never ending! Did I mention washing?

Happy holidays to you all!

Here is Emma's chalk horse and her tin foil sculpture of a lizard. Emma never stops creating!




Sunday, January 3, 2010

Have a New Husband by Friday (?????)

Everyone is advertising this book and so I recently bought the CD thinking that such a claim had to have something good to say. After all who doesn't want a romantic, perfect man in 5 days, no waiting for heaven for perfection? And I have to admit I take great pleasure in figuring out where people come from on issues like this. And so I just bought this CD cold turkey without knowing anything at all about the author, just because the title sounded interesting! Well I would personally classify this one as pop psychology. I have only listened to the first 4 tracks.....and I am champing at the bit in annoyance. Firstly a man has written a book but a lady reads it, to me this is odd. Secondly, men are brought down to mere simpletons, or to the equivalent of Pavlov's dogs. Does this mean they are incapable of being good, or does it mean they can be excused for misbehaving. Everything is left up to the wife for a perfect marriage, and written by a man!

No discussion of sinfulness and the sinful nature so far. No talk of being made a new creatures in Christ, no talk about repentance or redemption.....surely for a Christian book that would be pretty basic? All I have heard on the first four tracks is that if I, as the wife, do the right things, my husband will be perfect by Friday. (Maybe I can get him to salivate too if I ring a little bell!) It makes me want to scream ! When Pavlov rung his bell at meal times his dogs began to salivate when the bell rang- food or not. And from hence forth we have 'Behaviour Therapy'! So if I respect my husband properly etc, is he going to be perfect and respond to me perfectly and all this by Friday? As my hubby says "ricadiculous"! And I say rubbish!

Don't get me wrong I am all for serving my wonderful husband in every way I can. I am not against self sacrifice and giving as a wife. But let me tell you neither my hubby nor I is perfect. Hubby sees his role as full of love and service too. It is a beautiful two way relationship. But pat solutions that this CD gives, does not consider God's mighty work in a marriage, or a dependence on Him for a good marriage; nor does it reflect the complexity of human nature or the different, beautiful, interesting and challenging personalities God has given us. It has not yet talked about praying when you face a difficult issue. Marriage is so much deeper and so much more than a few, "If you do this, then so and so will happen"

So am I going to finish the CD and groan read his 'How to have a New Kid by Friday'- yes, I bought that one too (I am sooo gullible!) Right now, I am just too cross about his over simplistic approach. But I guess I have made some pretty bold statements here and to give him the benefit of the doubt and to be fair I should get beyond the first 4 tracks. Maybe he improves as he goes along????

Anyway don't go out and buy those books in a hurry. I will try and get together a list of really good books on marriage and child training over the next couple of days! I apologise if I have offended anyone who really likes his work and who has read all the way through his books properly without jumping on their high horses, especially if he does get better after track 4. Do let me know if I have misjudged this man.

Who is God?

Have started this series of sermons, as some fo my precious ones could not get up in time for church today, hopefully a good 'sleep in' has preventing 'melt down delux'!

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/BySeries/1/