Category Archives: Life as a Christian

Pancake Day 2013

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So, as you are probably aware, an important event on the Christian holiday calendar happened this past week…Shrove Tuesday. Otherwise known as ‘Pancake Day’. I love Pancake Day. In an otherwise dreary month, there’s one day (usually in February) where we get to have fun playing with our food! Yippee! Now that we’re having our ‘Soul Food’ nights on Tuesdays, pancake day was on a smallgroup night. It was also the Edinburgh half-term holiday. So after work I got the bus home whipped up some batter and then Lady V and Miss S came round to pick me up. Miss S and I had fun trying not to spill pancake batter all over the car as Lady V expertly navigated Edinburgh’s pothole filled roads. :) *Note to self, next time make the batter at the location you’re gonna make pancakes*

We even had a crepe maker this year… (thanks J & A for bringing that along – immense!!)
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And of course there is the tradition (since 2007) of capturing the pancake toss – here is Brisaac doing some ‘pancake gymnastics’:

We also celebrated some birthdays that have been happening this week…Miss S and Lady V picked out this cake for the first member of our beach lovin’ crew who was celebrating a birthday this year…
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Two other members of our crew have had birthdays this weekend (more birthday cake on Tuesday?), and since Brisaac already got on my blog today, it’s only fair that I include birthday girl Lady V too with her ‘Birthday Rice Pudding’ from last night even though it has absolutely nothing to do with pancake day…
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What can I say? It’s been a super fun week. It is now Lent, and I haven’t given anything up but I’m looking forward to the Chocolat themed bible study we’re embarking on. This week sees life go back to it’s normal busy eveningness with a work meeting replacing Guides and it’s a Senior Section week. Oh, and I’m back in school this week too. Hope you guys have had a fun week too!

5 years on…

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July 2007.

Stranraer.

My friends Carrie & Andy had guilt-tripped encouraged me to go with them to spend a week in Stranraer running a daytime and evening holiday club. I had just moved back to Edinburgh a couple of months before, and I think at that point was on move number 3 or 4 of that year!

Every one of us was about to embark on something new. I was unemployed still really and had just applied for a job at a local charity (yes, the one I work with now). Two were about to start gap years. One had just finished a gap year. Two were about to start new jobs. Andy was applying to become a Church of Scotland minister.We nicknamed our mottley crew ‘Club Crazy Choices’. We knew the coming year would be heading into the unknown. Really we had no idea of all the things that would happen to us that would make those choices seem even crazier than we all anticipated.

1 year later, my friends had bought a house, had become parents and Andy was giving up his job to become a full-time Theology student.

4 years later, Andy graduated and become a ‘probie’ at my friend (the ‘Rev’)'s church. One of those ‘coincidences’. By this time, there was another addition to their family too.

5 years later, and Andy is getting ordained. Tonight, as he gets his own title of ‘Reverend’ and his own Parish to boot!

As much as I’m sad that they aren’t going to live in the same city anymore, which likely means we’ll see even less of each other (we don’t see enough of each other as it is in my opinion!), I’m really excited for what’s going to happen while they are in Eyemouth. It’s also great that they’ve got a place to call home indefinitely before their kids start nursery and school next year.

I know that they’ve got the gifts and skills and passion to be of service to the communities of Eyemouth & Coldingham. I know that there are a whole bunch of us who’ll be there tonight that have their backs (plus all the people who can’t be there who wish they could be there).

They have sacrificed a lot and overcome many challenges to get to this point. I have no doubt there’ll be more challenges to come. But I’m sure it’s all going to be worth it.

And I’m proud to call them my friends!

Now I need to go away and pray, because the pressure is now really on.

Why? Because tonight LFS readers…I become godmother to a minister’s kid.

HELP!

I just hope that the nearest Asda to Eyemouth has got fully stocked up on Frosties and Smart Price Jaffa Cakes ready for Andy’s arrival… :)

 

Compassion Bloggers in Peru

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My journey with Compassion began in August 2002. Yep – it’s been 10 years since I began sponsoring a boy in Ethiopia, who has grown into a young man who has just finished his education. Several blogging friends – namely Lindsey and Pete – have done Compassion blogging trips. Pete to India in 2009 and Lindsey to Guatemala in 2010. With all my heart I wanted to sponsor a ton more children when they went out to those countries…but I couldn’t at the time.

This year, I was finally able to, and I started sponsoring a boy in Indonesia.

Follow the Compassion Bloggers in Peru

Several times a year, Compassion bloggers go out to see some of the projects and meet families helped by the week of Compassion. It gives the charity transparency, is a huge encouragement for the projects and makes people human beings rather than just statistics or faces on a leaflet as these bloggers share the stories of real people.

Today Shaun, Angie, Jennifer, Kevin & Layla will be travelling to Peru to spend a week with folks working with Compassion there. By clicking on the widgets to the right – you can follow them as they post videos, photos and stories from their trip. You can also find out more about sponsoring a child in Peru through Compassion.

Hi, my name is Laura Anne and I’m a blog slacker…

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This week, I was so happy to see a post on Lindsey’s blog pop up on my blog reader. I’d missed her writing and I really love the blogs of my fellow singleton sisters (not that I don’t love all you married folks too, but I’m sure you’ll understand appreciating someone who is at a similar ]life stage’ to you!)

Reading her words was like a punch in the guts though.

“I have been avoiding God.

This place right here, this simple little blog, is my sacred space. This place right here is where I come and wrestle with God. This place right here is where He shows me His grace, His beauty, and His ability to meet me in sadness, in fear, and in joy. This place right here is where I learn from life.”

Ouch.

Why? Because I know I’ve been doing the same. For sure I’ve put up posts every few days, but most of the time I’ve put little effort into them. I realise that a lot of people read my blog because of the openness about my faith in God when it’s been strong and also my doubts and struggles too. I’ve prayed for other people, but it’s been a long time since I sat and had a chat with God about me. I think because I’m afraid of what I might hear from Him.

And if I’m really honest, I’m afraid of what others might think of me. I wonder who reads this blogs – I know it gets 100s of views per week, but not many people leave comments. So I have no idea who is reading this or what they think about what I share here. I usually don’t mind when people disagree with me or think I’m a bit nuts – as long as I know what they are thinking!

So I guess I say all this to declare that I want to be better!

And that you’d really help me to be better if you’re lurking without saying anything – please do leave a wee comment! The first one gets moderated for approval, but once you’ve been approved your comments will appear immediately after that. :)

 

Happy birthday Central Christian Church!

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This weekend Central Christian Church turns 50. A church plant in Las Vegas, that has so many ministries, amazing staff and volunteers. I first got connected with Central through Lori (wife of Senior Pastor, Jud Wilhite) when she made a comment on a video I’d made for her friend, Brandi showing how I put duvet covers on duvets. From there, Lori welcomed me into Leading and Loving It – a community for Pastors’ Wives. Obviously as an unmarried woman I’m not anybody’s wife, but she let me be included as a woman in leadership and I was so very, very grateful.

Around that time, the church I had become part of was talking about making some major restructuring changes and my pastoral support basically vanished within about 6 months. I tried to keep going, not wanting to be ‘one of those people’ who leaves a church just because the going gets tough. As I was given more responsibility in ministry, it became more difficult. I was giving out spiritually but not much was going in. Most Sundays I’d go to church smiling and drive home in tears. In winter I’d get sick from going to church so I stopped going to services to try and keep myself well. Central filled that gap for me through their online services. Their videos made me laugh so much (ahh, Listen to your lady!) and I fell in love with Lenny and Rita. .  I’ll never forget one particularly tough week when I was close to quitting when in my e-mail box was a video message from Lenny and Rita that Lori had recorded and sent to me filled with words of love and encouragement. Lori was someone I turned to for wisdom when it became clear I needed to leave.  I didn’t like the way some people were gossiping and bitching about the leadership and had to check myself for times when I felt I was slipping into those kind of ways out of anger and hurt. I’m thankful for her wise advice to help me try and leave ‘well’. :)

I’ve heard lots of ministers and pastors preach that in their church ‘it’s ok not be ok’. Most churches that say that – soon get proven wrong by their response and actions to people  not being ‘ok’. I think Central is one of the few that have the integrity to actually mean and live it.

And I’m thankful.

Happy birthday Central!

What are your thoughts on… Prayer?

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So next weekend I have to speak on the subject of prayer. I would love your thoughts on this topic as I prepare!

What is the point of prayer?

What do you think prayer is?

What concerns you about people who pray?

When does prayer become important?

When you hear the words prayer or praying – what thoughts spring to your mind?

What say you blog readers? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, because I would love to hear them whether you are a person who prays or a person who doesn’t.

Inking Day approaches…

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Someone asked me last month whether I ever got the tattoo I talked about 2 years ago.

The answer was no.

There were a few reasons for this.

1) I wasn’t sure how I wanted it to look, and I wanted to think carefully about where it would go. I didn’t want it to be deemed a ‘slagtag’ or ‘tramp stamp’. I also think there are places on girls where tattoos look cheap and tacky. I know that tattoos offend people, and while I don’t have much patience for the easily offended, I don’t want to be disrespectful either. Especially as I’m involved in youth work.

2) My mother hates tattoos. I wanted time for her to get used to the idea that her daughter might be getting one. I am an adult but I also don’t want to totally disrespect her. It took her a long time to stop going on about the second set of holes in my ears. :)

3) I wanted to make sure that it was something God wanted me to do. A number of my Christian friends were slightly shocked when I mentioned I was thinking getting a tattoo. My mother was horrified (and will be upset with me). I spent a long time questioning if it went against my beliefs. I really spent a long time asking God about it. I specifically asked him on New Year’s Day to give me a sign to tell me yes or no. I was driving down to Dunbar when the brightest, clearest rainbow went across the sky. The rainbow is very connected to why I felt I should get a tattoo. I could sense that whisper of a voice I’ve come to recognise as being my heavenly Dad saying ‘Yes, I want you to always remember…‘

4) After 3 years, what I wanted has not changed. This gives me confidence that it is not going to be something I’ll regret having in permanent ink for the rest of my life!

Since then, I’ve spent time looking at designs and thinking carefully about placing of it. I’ve actually changed the planned location of the tattoo so that my Mum will not be so unhappy about it.

Last week, I went with my friend – who has had 2 tattoos done – to a body art place that I know to be reputable and spoke to an artist who has done several friends’ tattoos for them. An appointment has been booked for Wednesday, which my friend will be coming along with me.

I am nervous about it. But I’m confident that I am in good hands.

All going well, I’ll have some pictures to show you after inking day!

One of those pointless laughing at myself while still moaning posts…

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Yep, officially have my first sinus infection of 2012. Why, why, why did it have to wait until THIS week to come?

Perhaps a quote from a text I got earlier says it all

“Hey lovely lady. Sorry to hear that you are getting the powerpoint cold again…“

Of course. I was just lulled into a false sense of security when in February (the month I usually spend hugging boxes of kleenex) I stayed well. I went into school. I was at Guides. I’ve been getting the bus to work. I even sang at Powerpoint…healthy as can be.

But being healthy the week of Powerpoint is not normal for me.

To be honest, it’s not that bad. It’s irritating, but let’s face it, I’m not dying or anything. And if I played an instrument I wouldn’t be having this moan. Because germs may make me feel like crap, but I could still play fine.

Snot + Singing = not compatible match

I was getting so annoyed at blowing my nose earlier, I invented a new coping strategy that you may find amusing:

It turns out to be much more effective than I thought it would. However, maybe not a strategy to go for on Friday night.

However, did get some stuff accomplished today. Like looking at the term ahead for Guides, chasing up my leadership pack, ordering a bunch of resources and finding out that I’m going to be a guest on one of my favourite blogs tomorrow! Oh, and I caught up on The Good Wife as I hadn’t seen last week’s episode.

I’ve stayed off drugs so I can feel the full benefits of paracetamol, sudafed, NeilMed sinus rinse and all the rest over the next two days.

I have the greater one in me (1 John 4v4) so :P to you snot demons!

 

To Cairngorm or not to Cairngorm…?

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This weekend I’m supposed to be going to a young adults retreat in the Cairngorms with some folks from my church. I’d kinda forgotten that it was this weekend with things being so busy (and I’d forgotten to put it in my diary). I’m nervous about it for several reasons.

Firstly, I’m not a huge fan of church weekends away. Secondly, I don’t know the other people going particularly well. Thirdly, I have no kitchen making it difficult to prepare for a weekend where I will have virtually no control over what I can eat. Fourthly, I’m worried we could get snowed in. Lastly, the last time I was at the place we were staying was on a Geography revision weekend – a few days before I started my Higher exams.

It was at this centre where I was hanging out a window with my friend’s phone trying to get reception so I could chat to my boyfriend. It was on my last ever day of high school we left for our weekend, and the last ‘hurrah’ to say goodbye to folks I’d shared 5 years with. It was that weekend I prayed I wouldn’t get my period because I didn’t want to be dealing with being ill while we were traipsing up mountains and through forests looking at the power of glaciation. It was during this weekend when I started to feel nauseous. It was that weekend I thought it was strange my period never came and relief was laced with traces of uneasiness that I tried to ignore.

It’s not exactly a place I’ve ever wanted to return to.

At the same time I wonder if it’s a chance to do something I wanted to do last June in the NW Highlands.

Positive thoughts and prayers will be muchly appreciated – for whatever I decide to do this weekend. In Edinburgh or the Cairngorms.

The wall: crying out to God

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Of all the books in the bible, the two near the middle are my favourites. The Book of Proverbs for it’s straight up wisdom and common sense, and the Book of Psalms for it’s rawness, comfort and honesty.

Most of the time in the Psalms, it starts off positive, laments in the middle and ends with a resolve to remember the bigger picture.

I’m sure for some of my readers, you might think those verses are a little bit nutty. But over the last 4 years they’ve meant a great deal to me, and they went on my wall with another excerpt from Psalms…which is also on my wall but apparently I forgot to include it in my picture taking. Anyway, it says:

O Lord, hear me as I pray
Pay attention to my groaning
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you.
Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly

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What I love about the Psalms, is that there is no pretending. Sometimes I think Christians make out to other Christians that we should be joyfully taking all that is put against us. The Psalms tell me different. The Psalms say ‘be honest with how you feel’.

Let those emotions out.

It’s ok to feel whatever you’re feeling.

It’s what you do with what you’re feeling that counts.

 I’ve learned over the years that there are a lot of things that could happen in my life that would make fears realised. Bad things happen. People get sick. People die. People get taken away from us in other ways. Sometimes we struggle, we fear, we are desperate, it can seem like there is no hope. This thing we call life can lose it’s purpose and all seem totally pointless. Why bother trying to do good when it seems like there is so much evil, so much disaster that we can’t explain ‘why’.

In all of it, I’ve had to put my faith in God. I know that’s not going to stop the bad stuff.

It’s going to help me get through the bad stuff.

Sometimes I’m crawling through to the other side, rather than walking with my head high. It’s having peace to stay calm to get through the scary and tough times.

It’s getting through to the other side that counts.

That takes grit and courage and strength and encouragement.