Lizzy here We had an international lunch at work this week. There was lots and lots of interesting food that people brought. Including Rye bread and herb butter from Germany Herring on bread from Russia Jonny Cake from Canada Crepes from France Peruvian potatoes Dutch Indonesian rice Curry vegetable puffs from India Kiwi cheese rolls, hot chips, pavlova, bacon & egg pie and ambroisia English scones And my offering was Eccles cakes, which nobody had heard of before, but seemed to go down well, despite being much harder to make than I'd anticipated. They tasted better tan they looked I'd say. Obviously I just need more practice.
It was Sir Edmund Hillary's funeral yesterday in Auckland. State funeral. Suprisingly, it was a church affair. It's surprising given Sir Ed's vocal agnosticism and Clark's even more ardent anti-Christian sentiments. But then again, many seem to love Christianity at the time of death, as Liz Gordon's fascinating, yet flawed, article in The Weekend Press points out (not yet online).
It's been amazing to see just how loved the man was across New Zealand. No-one has anything but good to say about him, across the generations. Kiwis love of Sir Ed stems from two major points, as far as I can see - 1. Along with Tenzing Norgay, was one of the first two men to climb Everest successfully, in 1953. When back down he said 'Well George, we knocked the bastard off'. That phrase is now immortalised in Kiwi culture and shows that Sir Ed was 'one of us' - a true Kiwi, not building up his own achievements, great though they were. 2. He spent his life building schools and hospitals throughout Nepal, giving his life to the people he got to know in the Himalayas, repaying with thanks the opportunity to climb in their mountains. Kiwis love that too - that he was very philanthropic.
A good example of these two is in the following video, paying tribute to the great yet humble Sir Ed who lives on through our use of the $5 note.
Angels - that's what I've been musing, reading in the Bible, and praying about recently. It's summer season and for 3 weeks in January I've been preaching at three different churches whilst the respective pastors have been on holiday. It's been a joy to join with churches in Picton and Beckenham for the last two Sundays, and this coming Sunday at our home church here in Lincoln. And the subject is Angels: Who are they and what do they do? It's been a fascinating time in preparation. Below is the first image supplied to me by Google That's an interesting, image, isn't it? Is that popular culture or Biblical culture? I would say now, but you'll have to come along to Lincoln Community Centre at 10am this Sunday! And a second question for you - how many verses in the Bible mention angel/angels/archangels? If you're near Lincoln, do drop in and say hi. If you're not near Lincoln you'll be missing out!
Tim - Working for TSCF teaching the Bible to students in NZ; encouraging those who do know Jesus to 'correctly handle the word of truth' (2 Tim 2:15) and challenging those who don't yet know Jesus to meet him in the Bible. If you'd like to regularly help finance or prayer for this - wherever in the world you are - do let us know.
Liz - Working with AgResearch helping scientists with their administration needs (which can be great!); and being a Christian in the office.
Lizzy here
