Time for a break.

Hello there! Just a quick note to let you know the blog is going on a little holiday for the first few months of this year. I am going to focus on reading more of the bible and digesting it in good time. I am going to spend a little less time saying what I think and spend a little more time listening to God and other people. I’m going to try and sit at my computer less often. Don’t get the wrong idea: I fully intend to recommence sharing my thoughts and reading adventures…but just in a little while. Hope that’s okay.

I leave you with a summery recipe and a comforting passage. Both food for thought, in a way…

Salmon Salad with Salty, Sour, Spicy Sauce (serves 2)

Marinade 2 tail pieces of Tasmanian salmon in the juice of 1 lime, a crushed garlic clove and a teaspoon of drizzled honey. Leave for 30 mins at least. Meanwhile construct a salad of softened glass noodles (or vermicelli), shaved cucumber, blanched baby corn, blanched snow peas and 2 finely shopped spring onions (ratio/quantities to taste/preference). Make a dressing of 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 4 table spoons soy sauce, juice of 1 lime and 1 chopped chilli. Stir dressing through salad. Sear salmon on a griddle pan, lightly sprayed with canola oil, until cooked to taste (approx 2.5 mins each side). Sprinkle coarse chunks of salmon into salad and serve with a grind of fresh black pepper. My mum loved it. Hope yours does too.

Psalm 13

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.

Rare but awesome: comments by two adventurous friends

As my dear friend Ash and I were sitting in Cumberland State Forest gazing at the canopy, we thought we should get to know our beautiful city a little bit better. So every time we’ve been on adventure since then, we’ve made some notes about the cool things we’ve seen and good places we’ve visited. Our hope is that by sharing our experiences, you’ll have a chance to get to know places in Sydney a bit better, find some spots with great atmosphere/ambience and cherish some of the cute, quiet spots where we’ve enjoyed sitting, reading and chatting.

Burnt Orange, Mosman // On this particular day we ventured to the end of the peninsula to this cute coffee shop to see the view, try the food and check out the atmos. We had scones and chai (Ash) and coffee and banana bread (Steph). The coffee was alright, but not amazing. The food was nice but you definitely pay for the view… The service was a little brusque and their welcoming strategies need revising. On a more positive note, the decor and atmos – full of antiquey gifts upstairs and down – was lovely. Good to get away to!

Fish and Chips, Kirribilli // After a wander and some bible reading in the secret garden, we had fish and chips under the Harbour Bridge and watched the world go by. Apart from the fact that the fish and chip man accused me of opening a can of lemonade and then putting it back in the fridge (I didn’t), our food experience was good! For the reader’s information, this was on the same day as our coffee at Burnt Orange. A scenic day for sure!

Opium Den Thai, Darlinghurst // This place was sensational. Quick, yummy, reasonably priced and beautifully decorated. We were on our way to see a theatre production so didn’t have long. The food came promptly, served on a cool banana leaf. It light, had a heckful of flavour and looked great! Added bonus: we saw semi-celebrity actor/producer Damien Ryan there. This was doubly exciting considering we were seeing one of his Sport for Jove productions around the corner at The Darlo (also a cultural experience well worth pursuing). The atmosphere of this little Thai place is unlike anywhere else I’ve been yet: heaps of mirrors and curtains and flowers and sparkly things on the wall make it like an enchanted little corner of Asia. We’ll defs go here again!

Thai n a Box, Parramatta // One of those groovy places where you design your own noodle dish. Cool big round tables and an open kitchen so you can see the food being made. Friendly staff too. But their choice of music was very disappointing: nobody needs rave/trance beats over a quiet box of noodles. Then we had Cold Rock and went for a walk by the slightly scary river. Classic ice cream experience. A fun night. Especially cos if you order takeaway from Thai n a Box, you get it in a box. Wicked!

Several places in Darlinghurst // So the place I wanted to go was absolutely packed. Thanks to Claire’s research abilities we found a yummy albeit kinda strange meal at the Water Moon Japanese restaurant. Anyway, everything was cool again cos we went to… Gelato Messina! Only the best place EVER. What a dessert location. Then, just for fun, we went back past Ms. G’s and because it wasn’t so crowded anymore we popped in for a cocktail upstairs and to our delight found that they had a machine to serve the cocktails in EasyWay-esque cups!!!

Jazzveh Pizza, Bella Vista // We had calamari for entree. The batter was, um, unexpected. Usually calamari is crumbed. Not the case here. The two pizzas we ordered were small but tasty. They were called “Wild Fungo” (awkward to order) and “Santorini.” Points off for over-cooked crust and hard cheese. Points also off for slow, not-heaps-friendly service and lack of common greeting courtesy. Points on for ambience – nice decor and close to the water. Even if the water was kinda brown. But groovy pizza holders make everything better.

Finally, someone’s onto those things that are not okay.

Hello! I’m recently back from some overseas ganderings and what better welcome than a fresh, witty and totally relevant new blog from a friend whose skills in sociological observation are second only to her impeccable taste in floral clothing items. If you’re frequently perturbed by those unspoken social faux pas’s – crocs (especially the ones with the pictures poked in the holes *shudder*), jeans and joggers, mature age students who don’t know when to shut it, and HOW COULD WE FORGET? the car frangipani stickers – get on the bandwagon.

Though most of the posts I publish on this blog are more along the lines of faith/life/thought, I will always be in favour of this kind of fun. These unokay things must be seen for the horrendous breach of common public courtesy that they are. Liz and Lucie, I salute you.

To go be educated, click this link: Things that are not okay

Eat, drink and be merry (volume two).

Delmain Providore, Balmain

The best steak sandwich I’ve ever eaten was from this place. The coffee was beautifully smooth. I recommend trying a Zumbo creation from a few doors down for dessert.

 

Bodhi, Sydney CBD

Vegan food has never been so appealing. I love meat, eggs, fish and all sorts of animally things like that (sorry if that sounds gross). But at this lil yum cha place, I don’t miss them at all. Seriously incredible selection of steamed dumplings in the shade of Hyde Park and the shadow of St Mary’s Cathedral. My six year-old cousin reckons the mushroom dumplings win, my mum would say peanut&celery, my sister would probably go with the sticky rice and I say snow-pea&ginger. The more people you take along, the more different things you can try, and when the food is this light and fresh you really can just keep piling up the bamboo baskets…

 

Ms G’s, Darlinghurst

I went here with some friends one Saturday night a few weeks ago. There are so many likable things about this trendy restaurant/bar: the DJ plays Sade (yep, that’s gotta top the list), the cocktails are served in sealed EasyWay-style cups (a machine for which is to be found at the upstairs bar) with giant straws, the modern Vietnamese food is delish, the decor is trendy and comfortable, the bartenders dance while they mix (word).

 

Pablo & Rusty’s, Gordon

I couldn’t not put my trusty everyday coffee joint in. If you haven’t been here, you’re missing out on the double ristretto flat white, the mango berry smoothie and the chocolate slice. But surely the best thing about this place is the people who work there. There might not be many spots to sit down in such a tiny coffee shop, but it’s a goodie just for a consistently good cup of coffee and a friendly chat. Oh Pab’s, you’re close to my heart.

 

Air Coffee, Castle Hill 

Fantastic coffee, roasted on-site. Best thing about this place is that on 14 November 2011 (yep, yesterday) I met Brooke Fraser here. Tash, you are my courage. Claire, you are my boldness.

 

Eat, drink and be merry (volume one).

One of my favourite things is visiting good places to eat and drink in Sydney. I love that after a jam-packed week, heading to a different part of our beautiful city on the weekend can have the effect of having a 3 hour holiday. In this post, I’d love to share with you some of my favourites – some recent, some long-standing. All of the ones in this post are south of the Harbour Bridge. I’m no expert when it comes to reviewing food/coffee/atmos or anything… But I certainly have an opinion to share, and I’d like to think my taste would serve some of you well. Enjoy!

Rosebud, Rozelle

This spot on a corner of Darling Street is so much fun for anything from late big breakfasts through to sleek wine bar adventures. If you pick the right weekend, there are markets across the road in the beautiful old courtyard of Rozelle Primary School. My favourite thing I’ve had here is the vegetarian big breakfast which, memorably, included crispy polenta chips and some of the creamiest goat’s cheese I’ve ever eaten. The mushrooms were heaps tasty as well (which is somewhat unusual in my experience of fried mushrooms). It can get pretty busy on the weekend. But the vibe is wonderful, and there’s a SENSATIONAL second hand bookshop about 300m down the road as well… Good option.

The Little Marionette, Balmain

A tiny one. In fact, this is probably the littlest coffee shop I’ve been to! Order a coffee through the window, wait for it on the footpath and then grab a blanket from the basket and lie in the park across the road. Alternatively, enjoy a Zumbo pastry (he is just around the corner, after all) at one of the three tables inside this little haunt. This spot was recommended to me by a man who lives for coffee, and it certainly did not disappoint. There’s another, larger shop in Annandale too. TLM has become a regular spot for my mummy and me because it’s quiet, quality and out of the usual North Shore hub. (Please ignore that the silly man in the picture is wearing crocs. That should be punishable by law.)

Three Blue Ducks, Bronte

I went here this morning. Coffee was indisputably 10/10 and the food was amazing – Mum’s was the best: poached eggs with basil salad, ocean trout, roasted tomatoes, homemade sauce hollandaise and Iggy’s sourdough. My sister had their house-made lemonade which was probably the best non-commercial stuff I’ve ever tasted. They’ve recently expanded the place so that now there’s the main bit – where the big, open kitchen is – and another room filled with little tables, with an alleyway in between the two, the walls of which are colourfully painted with giant ducks. As my mother pointed out, a notable feature of this place is the babe-ness of the ten or so male waiters, so for peeps who are into that kinda thing (and, let’s be honest, what girl isn’t?)…

Gallery, Annandale

Gotta thank my friend Soph for introducing me to this gem. Fifties wallpaper, local abstract art on display, a counter made out of old drawers, pews for seats and big windows in the restaurant section out the back, a small aviary and comfortable armchairs make this place immediately appealing. Then there’s the great coffee and Zumbo pastries which make this spot unreal for a cosy read on a rainy Sunday. It’s open and spacious, has high ceilings with dark-wood beams and floorboards. Really comfortable.

Gelato Messina, Darlinghurst

Oh my. What a place! There’s no queue system, so at 10:30 on any given night, when you’re in the mood for a scoop or two, squeeze into the shop and spy out what flavours you want: Passionfruit Meringue Tart (which, for some reason, they’ve awkwardly abbreviated to PMT), ‘Isn’t this a salad?’ (goat’s cheese gelato, caramelised walnuts and beetroot puree), yoghurt & salted caramel, any of the classic normal ones, breakfast of champions (with croissants and plum jam stirred in)… The salad one is unbelievable! This place is phenomenal. I go there way too often. Oh, and all the staff have European accents. Hot.

Youeni Provides, Paddington

The internet says this is in Darlinghurst. But it’s actually in Paddington. One of those classic inner city hole-in-the-wall cafes. But it’s cute, not too hipster for its own good and is run by a bunch of mates who seek to minimise waste and encouraged sustainable eating and living. This coffee shop slash grocer gets points for having adorable window boxes full of bright flowers and for only having a few good things on the menu each day. Their sandwiches are chunky and amazing, the coffee is smooth, the ambience is European and the peeps are friendly. Do it.

More to come in the next post. Delish.

Liza Rose

This is my band, joyfully talking about the joy it is for us to make joyous music together. You can stay in touch on facebook!

Heartened by your faithfulness and generosity.

A few of my Christian sisters have really inspired me recently. They have inspired me with their perseverance and practical efforts to exalt the Lord Jesus in their lives and live in obedience to him. Without naming them (and hopefully without puffing them up) I’d like to share the ways in which three friends of different ages have been honouring our great God. Sure, they’re little things. But I reckon little sacrifices are a big deal and make all the difference in handing our hearts over to God more and more fully.

Susan,* aged 13, loves wearing her cross on a chain around her neck everyday to remind her to remember Jesus – something Paul exhorts us to do in 2 Timothy 2:8. Sometimes Susan’s mum worries that by displaying her necklace openly, and talking about why she wears it, will impact her friendships negatively and cause her to be ‘pigeon-holed’. But Susan tells her mum that Jesus is her treasure and that friends don’t trump remembering her Saviour. Good on you, Susan!

Bertha, aged 20, decided to sponsor a child because she wanted to give God’s money – that was under her stewardship – to caring for the poor. Bertha’s mum did not think this the wisest use of her money and suggested she instead save for a deposit on a house. However, Bertha made the decision to trust God, re-read what the bible says about giving in 2 Corinthians 8 & 9 and proceeded with the sponsorship, whilst still being kind and patient towards her mum. This encourages me.

Gwyn, aged 22, made the commitment to give as much money to the poor – via a charity organisation of her choice – as she spent on music from a given date forward. She even tweeted about it so as to be held accountable in her decision to spend money in a Kingdom-focused way. This would be hard for Gwyn, because she loves buying CDs and very much enjoys live music. But she prizes God’s justice and the care of the oppressed more highly and for this, Gwyn, I commend you!

*All names in this post have been altered in order to protect the anonymity of these encouraging friends.

Disclaimer: Susan and Bertha’s stories make mums look lame. Mums – and especially their mums – are not lame, however, they too are susceptible to being caught up in the worries of the world and momentarily forgetting that we are heading toward eternity.

On the departing of Christianity…

I read something last night which cannot be described as anything other than chilling. Have you ever wondered what the world will be like when the Christian framework for morality and philanthropy is completely removed from collective consciousness? I hadn’t thought about that in great depth before reading the last chapter of Atheist Delusions by D. B. Hart. He asks, “When, therefore, Christianity departs, what is left behind? [...] The story of the crucified God took everything to itself, and so – in departing – takes everything with it: habits of reverence and restraint, awe, the command of the Good within us.”

I actually shivered when I considered that the trajectory we’re on, in a society that rejects the truth and value of the Christian metanarrative, leads to “the triviality of a world that revolves around television, shopping and the Internet.” I felt, deep in my gut, a “morbid despair” and even a twinge of fear… What kind of world will it be when our only guiding principle ends up being the limitless will possessed by each headstrong individual?

“When the aspiring ape ceases to think himself a fallen angel, perhaps he will inevitably resign himself to being an ape, and then become contented with his lot, and ultimately, even rejoice that the universe demands little more from him than an ape’s contentment. If nothing else, it seems certain that post-Christian civilization will always lack the spiritual resources, or the organizing myth, necessary to produce anything like the cultural wonders that sprang up under the sheltering canopy of the religion of the God-man.” (230-231)

It’s kind of a scary thing.

D. B. Hart on materialism.

David Bentley Hart’s denunciation of materialism (in his highly readable, humble and yet compelling book Atheist Delusions) is cutting. In much of the first half of the book, he examines accepted historical accounts of the nature and influence of early Christianity and the church. For instance, it was refreshing, in a culture which considers religion and reason diametrically opposed, to read that “What distinguishes modernity from the age of Christendom is not that the former is more devoted to rationality than was the latter, but that its rationality serves different primary convictions.”  Shortly after this, Hart provides a wonderful and exposing description of the faith required to hold a strictly materialist view of the cosmos. I was reminded of the culturally conditioned nature of my own reasoning and the necessity for critical reflection on all the things I hold to be true:  “All reasoning presumes premises or intuitions or ultimate convictions that cannot be proved by any foundations or facts more basic than themselves, and hence there are irreducible convictions present wherever one attempts to apply logic to experience.”

An author’s ability to make sober observations of this nature inspires confidence in the reliability of his or her perspective, I think. Not that this post is intended as a cheap hit at Dawkins and the new atheists (nor, really,  is the book, despite the suggestion of the title), but there is a marked difference between the bombastic and presumptuous arrogance of Dawkins in The God Delusion and the thorough, thoughtfully-presented case made by Hart. I could say much more about Hart’s brilliance as a writer (though I believe this will be plain to his reader), but I won’t. Here is the passage about materialism that struck me. I was grateful to read such a strong and intelligible denunciation of a metaphysical prejudice which is so elevated in today’s academic (and even popular!) climate. Hope this is food for thought!

“There is, after all, nothing inherently reasonable in the conviction that all of reality is simply an accidental confluence of physical causes, without any transcendent source or end. Materialism is not a fact of experience or a deduction of logic; it is a metaphysical prejudice, nothing more, and one that is arguably more irrational than almost any other. In general, the unalterably convinced materialist is a kind of childishly complacent fundamentalist, so fervently, unreflectively, and rapturously committed to the materialist vision of reality that if he or she should encounter any problem – logical or experiential – that might call its premises into question, or even merely encounter a limit beyond which those premises lose their explanatory power, he or she is simply unable to recognise it.” (from page 103)

A few more reflections on Jesus.

One of the early church fathers, Gregory of Nazianzen (380AD), pens a compelling reply to the docetic heresy. Advocates of this heresy claimed that Jesus was not really human and did not really have a human body or a human nature. In reply to this, Gregory says: “…that which he has not assumed, he has not healed; but that which is united to his Godhead, is also saved. If only half Adam fell, then that which Christ assumes and saves may be half also; but if the whole of Adam fell, he must be united to the whole nature of him that was begotten, and so be saved as a whole.” Only as one of us can Jesus save us. ‘Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.’ (Hebrews 4:14-16)

His real humanity matters because we are saved by the humanity of Christ: ‘Therefore, just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.’ (Romans 5:18-19)

As if this were not enough to rejoice in for one little blog post, Bonhoeffer’s two cents on this topic is breath-taking. On the sinlessness of Jesus, he says the following (it’s a long quote, I admit, but well worth reading at least twice):

“The question is: Has Jesus as the humiliated God-Man entered fully into human sin? Was he man without sin as we are? If not, has he then really become man? If not, can he then really help? And if he has, how can he help us out of our trouble, while he is set in the same trouble? Here it is necessary to understand what ‘the likeness of sinful flesh’ (Romans 8:3) can mean. His flesh is our flesh. It is the very nature of our flesh that we are tempted to sin and self-will. Christ has taken upon him all that flesh is heir to. He is man as we are, he is tempted in all points as we are, yet much more dangerously than we are. Also in his flesh was the law which is contrary to God’s will. He was not the perfect good. At all times he stood in conflict. He did things which, at least from outside, looked like sin. He became angry, he was harsh to his mother, he escaped from his enemies, he broke the Law of his people, he stirred up revolt against the rulers and religious men of his country. He must have appeared a sinner in the eyes of men. Beyond recognition, he stepped into man’s sinful way of existence.

But all depends on the fact that it was he who assumed to flesh with its tendency to sin and self-will. It was he who did the things that seemed to the onlooker to be sin and failure and must be evaluated such. But because it is he who does this, these statements appear in a different light. It is really human flesh which he carries – but because he carries it, the flesh is robbed of its rights. He pronounces the judgment on his doings. He has anguish as we do, but it is his anguish; he is tempted as we are, but it is his temptation; he is condemned as we are but because it is he who is condemned, we are saved through him. Because of this ‘he’, the hardest and most scandalous statements must be risked against this humiliated God-Man and be borne. He is really made sin for us and as the peccator pessimus he is crucified.”