We miss you dad!

Laurie Abram 17th March 2012

'When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed in victory.' Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?' 1 Corinthians 15: 54-55
Dad used to say: I used to know about Jesus, but now I know Him.

Holy Week in Mid-trent churches

Holy Week Services - all at 19.30 unless otherwise stated

Monday        -        The Arrest          (Hixon - Steven) (30min)
                        Mark 14:32-52        Tuesday        -        He Stands Alone        (Stowe-Jason) (30min)
                        Mark 14:32-52
Wednesday -        He stands before Pilate   (Gayton-Steven) (30min)
                        Mark 15:1-15
Thursday          -        Maundy Thursday HC   (Salt-Jason) (1hr)
                        Mark 14:12-31
Friday     -                10am Good Friday Meditation   (Burston-Philip) (1hr)
7.30pm Crucifixion (Weston) (1hr 30 min)
Saturday        -         He lies buried (Milwich- Philip) (30min)
                        Mark 15:42-47
Sunday 8th April - Easter Day - Our Saviour's resurrection
Thursday 26th April - All in the April Evening - Salt Church, more details here

An escapade in Norfolk

 On the 5th of Feb, the front garden disappears under the snow..

 Our Valentine diner at the Crown of India in Stone. Happy hubby! Delicious food!

 Steve and dad checking the menu for our evening meal

 This is my seat, my table, do not disturb!

 In Titchwell reserve, a very elegant wader
 A redrobin welcoming us.

 During half-term, we decided to visit dad but we didn't take the caravan as we planned to spend Friday night there. Imogen didn't come with us as she was invited to a party. We managed to leave at about 9ish and arrived at Heacham (Norfolk) just after noon. After we had a hug, a chat and a coffee, we left to Titchwell  and on the way stopped in a pub called the White Horse. 

In Titchwell, while Steven had a tour on the beach, dad and I had a bite to eat and I took a few photos. 

Later on we went back to the White Horse to have diner. Dad said that because of the cold weather he hadn't been able to go out as much as he wanted to so he was over the moon.

In the morning, we took dad to Snettisham beach. While he stayed in the car admiring the muddy estuary, Steven and I took a short walk to the hide. I must say that I enjoy more and more birdwatching, simply because I feel that admiring God's creation draws me closer to Him. We had a short but wonderful break. 

Somehow I cannot write those posts just after the events... have a blessed week-end. Your sister in Christ. N.

Messy church in Weston

 Messy church is about spreading the good news about Jesus, our saviour, in an  informal environment usually on a school day.
This is just what's happening in Weston once a month on the fourth Thursday.
Children are having fun, parents and teens are either having a cupper or helping out. The event is always well attended.
So if you live in the area and haven't been yet why don't you give it a go. Bring along your friends and you do not need to book for the session.  The next one will be on the 22/03/2012 from 3:30 to 5:00 pm. For more information, have a look in the Compass magazine.
Do you have a messy church in your parish? Let us know why you started it and how is it going.
The theme of this particular session was about light.

In John, we read that Jesus spoke to his disciples saying, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
God said, “Let there be light; and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). The first thing that God created on the earth
was light; and not because He needed light to see, but because the heavens and the earth were still dark
and void. The words God spoke, caused the light to appear from His very countenance and expel the darkness. ‘Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us” (Psalm 4:6).

The psalmist says ‘Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’ (Psalm 119:105). When we walk with the Light of the world, we will never again experience darkness. Have a blessed week-end! Your sister in Christ. N

Butternut squash and nut roast?

Steven and I decided that Imogen (who is a vegetarian) would have a nut roast this Christmas..and I thought I would cook it! However, those of you who know me will not be surprised to hear that I left it a bit late. Two days ago I tried to cheat and get one from M&S but to no avail, they did not have any left! Not taking no for an answer, I bought all the ingredients in Tesco and last night I was scouring the Internet to find an easy recipe! 

However, I had to deal with an emergency so I was in no mood to bake it then and feeling emotionally exhausted. 

Today has been great, we've just come  back from a convivial Christingle service in Hixon church. I am still humming Come and Join the celebration. I have found a perfect recipe. Click here to see it on the web! However as Imo does not like onions or garlic, I will have to make some slight changes..so we shall see! Below is the recipe adapted for children or fussy teenagers!
450g/1 lb peeled, deseeded butternut squash, cut into cubes
225g/8 oz raw, chopped hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios and brazil nuts
Provencal herbs
salt and pepper 

Put the butternut to roast for half an hour at gas mark 7/ 220 C. When the squash has finished roasting, mix all the ingredients together, then press the mixture into a lined 2 lb loaf tin. Bake for 60 mins at gas 190 C. Imogen has looked at it and cut a little sample and all is good. 
Have a blessed Christmas and may the Lord bless you in abundance. 
Yours in Christ.

The wardens' evening ....december 2012

A few photos taken at Phil and Paola's home for the warden's buffet.

We had a great time in amazing company...
Pic 1...Elaine and Liz
Pic 2...Alan and Pat
Pic 3...John and Lesley
Pic 4....Phil, Elaine, Paola, Stuart and Steven

Lots more people were around, still at times I feel that taking photographs can be intruding ...as I've already mentioned...
Thanks from all of us to Philip and Paola
God bless you all 

Angels from the realms of glory

Kiss me under the mistletoe!

6 Christmas myths demystified

Myth 1: Christmas is the most important date on the Christian calendar.

For all the cards sent and trees decorated — to say nothing of all the Nativity scenes displayed, this is not true. Easter, the day on which Christians believe Christ rose from the dead, has more significance than does Dec. 25. Christ’s resurrection means not just that He conquered death, nor is it proof of Jesus’s divinity to his followers; it holds out the promise of salvation for all who believe in him.

Myth 2: Jesus was born on December 25.

No one knows the date on which Jesus was born and there is no record of any date being set apart to mark his birth during the first 300 years of the history of the church. It was not until the 4th century that Christians started to celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25 in an attempt to Christianise the pagan celebration of the birthday of the sun.

Myth 3: Jesus was born in a stable, surrounded by cattle.

The fact that Jesus was laid in a manger — an animal’s feeding trough — has led many to assume that he must have been born in a stable in the midst of cattle. However, the Bible does not mention a stable and it certainly doesn’t refer to the presence of animals. The precise setting in which Jesus was born and spent his earliest hours and days is not described.

Myth 4 : Three Eastern kings followed a star to Jesus’s birthplace.

The visitors from the East are nowhere described as kings in the Bible and, although it is fair to assume that they were men of some standing, their precise social status is unknown. The tradition that there were three Magi or ‘wise men’ is based on the fact that they presented three gifts to Jesus — gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Myth 5 : It was by chance that Jesus was born in Bethlehem because Mary and Joseph just happened to be staying there at the time.

The location of Jesus’s birth was far from accidental. Some 700 years before his birth, the prophet Micah declared that the promised Christ would be born in the insignificant town of Bethlehem.

Myth 6 : The biblical account of the birth of Jesus is a lovely story for children at this time of year, but it doesn’t make any difference to me.

The birth of Jesus makes a profound difference to all of us, whether young or old. Without Jesus, we are cut off from God and none of us is good enough to make it to heaven on our own. The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the only person who can bring us to God, because he is both God and man. He knows what it is like to be human, and he also has the divine power that is needed to bring us back to God.
If Jesus had never been born as a baby in Bethlehem, there would be no hope for any of us. But as a result of his birth, and through his subsequent death and resurrection, he has opened up for us a way back to God. Jesus himself said: ‘I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness’ (John 12.46).

Source : Norman Wells on the following website and the Washington post

Christmas fair

Our Christmas fair was held in Hixon memorial hall. There was a huge variety of stalls, old and new, i.e. dolls, craft, quilt, toiletries, cakes, home-made jams and marmalade, jewellery,  books, knit craft for Macmillan cancer research...and more. 

It started at 10 a.m. and finished after 4 p.m. It was well attended and everyone left holding lots of presents. There were refreshments and delicious mini minced pies. There was the opportunity to win a Christmas Hamper and five dinner dates.

The next event is Carols at the Inn, Sunday 18th December at 7:30 p.m. 

Have a blessed evening. Your sister in Christ. N.

An old man, his son and missing bodies!

An old Italian man lived alone in New Jersey. He wanted to plant a tomato garden, but it was difficult work, as the ground had become extremely hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was now in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament: Dear Vincent, I am feeling pretty sad, because it looks like I won't be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I'm just getting too damn old to be digging up the garden plot. I know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days. If you were here my troubles would be over. Love, Papa

A few days later he received a letter from his son. Dear Pop, Don't dig up that garden. That's where the bodies are buried. Love, Vincent

6 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area looking for, but without finding any bodies. Finally, they apologized profusely to the old man and left.
Later in the day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Pop, Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances. Love you, Vincent
I hope you enjoyed this piece of 'humour' that my friend Mandy sent me some time ago.
Have a blessed week.

A Victoria Sponge with a twist!

Tonight, Imo asked me to bake another cake (I baked one yesterday), first I refused as it was getting late but she insisted so here is the recipe I used for this Victoria Sponge with a twist. Click on the words Victoria Sponge to go on the website.

150g softened butter or marg (not low fat spread)
150g caster sugar
3 eggs
150g self raising flour
Tip: You can make smaller amounts (or larger!) by using 50g of flour, sugar and butter for every egg you use. So, for example, you can reduce the quantity by using 2 eggs and 100g of the other ingredients.
Set the oven at 180 C /Gas 4
Rub some butter around the insides of the two sandwich tins, and line the bases with circles of greaseproof paper.
Beat together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until mixture is pale and creamy.
Add the eggs to the mixture, one at a time and stir until smooth.
Add flour and mix gently into the mixture.
Pour half of the cake mixture into each sandwich tin and smooth it level.
Place the tins in the oven for 20 to 25 min's
The cakes are done when they are well-risen and golden brown and feel springy in the middle.
Turn them out onto a wire rack to cool. Remove greaseproof paper.
I made a few changes, first I peeled and cored two small apples then sliced them and put them on the greaseproof paper. I also melted 50 g of dark chocolate in the microwave and incorporated the mixture at the end! So I only used 100g flour. Also I did not have self raising flour, I used plain flour and added baking powder. Everybody had a taste of it even the boss! It is yammy! 

Have you been baking lately? What is your favorite desert?

Barn dance?

I've just come back from our PCC at Hixon; ideas and suggestions were forthcoming for next year fundraising events and our secretary said: 'what about a barn dance!' I thought that it was an excellent idea. I remembered the last time I went to one, it was fun even though I did not know many of the people there. What amazed me was the feeling of friendliness.. families and single people were mixing and dancing and joy was there. There was a genuine commitment to one another. So this could be a good idea! What do you think? Would you go to a barn dance yourself? Any suggestions?
Blessings to all. Your sister in Christ. N

In my inbox!

Talking about family, Chennai and Napoleon!

We've just come back from spending a week caravaning in Heacham in Norfolk where we visited my father-in-law Laurie. We were pleased to see that he is keeping well even if his breathing is difficult. 
On Sunday, we went to the Methodist church (Heacham) as Steven was invited by Mike and Kim to preach there.
During the service Imogen talked about her charity Chennai Challenge and her trip in India for a few minutes and also thanked everybody for their support. We then stayed for a chat over a cup of coffee.

At the beginning of the week, we took dad bird-watching with us. He stayed in the RSPB coffee shop at Titchwell. Imogen kept him company after taking a walk to the sea (about 1 mile). We saw our favorite waders, i.e. avocet, sandpiper, golden plover (photo below)...

On Monday, we went to Kings Lynn to the Orange shop to sort out his mobile, it failed to charge. While the boss and his dad were discussing the problem, Imo and I went round the shops. 

There were some sales but nothing exciting so we came back half an hour later only to find them still talking through.

Eventually, they told us that dad would get a new phone on the following day and we had to be home from 9 to 1 pm. Guess what, they brought the new phone at 12:50! 

That evening, Imogen asked if we wanted to watch a dvd at dad's and she chose Napoleon Dynamite. I don't know if you have seen that film. Here is the review I found in IMdb: A listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home. To cut a story short, dad watched the film but the boss did not...I realised that I watched it before but it had not made a big impression on me then..
Imogen was not allowed to choose any more films for the rest of the week!
Blessings to all. N.