Thursday Sky

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Rumpus Room

A VIFF Sunday

Hi friends,

I hope you had a great weekend. I had a great weekend of catching up on little things around the home.

When you live in a big city there are always a lot of things going on in which you can participate.  Every year in September things start off with a bang and I find it hard to take in much of what is happening.  September is always a very busy month as I wind down the summer activities and transition to Fall.  This year I got sick early with a cold and that slowed me down a bit also.

There are a number of festivals going on in Vancouver recently.  Here is just a short list:

• Vancouver International Fringe Festival, a festival that creates live theatre opportunities  for emerging and established artists, September 6-16, 2012
• Vancouver International Film Festival, which shows films from around the world, September 27-October 12, 2012
• Modalus Festival, a music festival with a look into the post-classical music scene, September 27-30, 2012.
• The Word on the Street, featuring author readings, exhibits, performances, and all for free!,  September 28-30, 2012
• Vancouver Writer's Festival, connects readers to writers, October 16-21, 2012

I couldn't begin to take in most of these fantastic offerings. In fact, I can barely keep track of them. But this year I finally managed to make it to the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF), an incredibly popular event with a loyal and dedicated group of followers.

Given my love of Africa I decided to see a film set in Africa.  I don't know which country, but I think that it was somewhere in West Africa.

 

The film is called "Rebelle" and is directed by Kim Nguyen.  The VIFF website provided this short synoposis of the film

Rachel Mwanza plays Komona, a young African girl forced to wage war as a child soldier. In the midst of inconceivable violence and hatred, Komona finds comfort in an albino boy she calls Magicien. Kim Nguyen directs this heartfelt and enthralling drama about the remarkable endurance of the human spirit. Winner, Best Narrative Feature, Best Actress, Tribeca 2012, Best Actress, Berlin 2012.

I invited 4 other women friends to join me.  The film was powerful and the introduction had me in tears with the horror of the situation.  My friends were also impacted by the film and I think we all  learned something about the issues affecting child soldiers in Africa.

I don't know if you will get a chance to see this film but I've heard that it will be a submission for an Academy Award. If it wins, perhaps there is a greater opportunity for you to catch it in a theatre near you.  In the meantime, you might want to watch the trailer here .

What Happens When I Finish my Reading Goals for This Year?

 The campaign to help Jonah & Little Linet continues. Please read here.

Yippee, I am ever closer to completing my reading goals early. I had a goal of reading 24 books throughout the year and being ill this past week gave me a chance to read 4 complete and finish two others that were "in progress".  I just have to read one and half more books (several in progress) and when I complete my 24th book, I am going to use the rest of the year to read the Bible from cover to cover.

In fact, I've started already. It is something I've wanted to do for a long while but for some reason felt it was too big of a challenge.  Of course I often read the Bible in different studies, but reading it from cover to cover is something different.

I recently came across a post on Fred Alton's blog about reading the Bible from cover to cover and decided to give it a try. He encouraged me to use audio bibles and to read along as I listen.  I think this is going to work out great for me. I just love to hear the Bible read out loud by a rich, strong voice, like Max McLean on Bible Gateway.  (If interested, you can google Max McLean on youtube and listen to him narrate the Gospel of Mark on video).  I hope to read the Bible from cover to cover over the course of the year, but may actually finish much sooner.  One thing I'm doing differently with the Bible reading is giving myself permission to do my reading and study late at night. I am a night owl so this will work better for me.  Despite spending years trying to change my habits to study in the morning, I acknowledge that so far my efforts have not worked. It is better for me to find a way to work with the kind of person God made me.

I've also put a Bible App on my smartphone but seldom use it for more than reading a daily Bible verse because the phone uses so much battery before it needs charging. I try to save the battery for actual phone calls.  I guess I really should use my Blackberry Playbook more often as I have the same app on there too. I tend to use the Playbook as a backup to my camera to take videos and photos and for downloading several books for back up reading material. I really should get some headphones to use with the Playbook and then I can sit in my living room and listen to and read the Bible.

In addition to reading the Bible, one of my goals is to study the Bible more consistently and systematically.  I have many Bible studies and different books but I've been looking for just the "right ones".  I think I've finally gathered together a few tools that will really help me and more importantly, tools that I will actually use.

One book is this, What the Bible Is All About, by Dr. Henrietta Mears.  What I like about this book is that it has an overview of each book of the Bible to help you understand what you are going to read and to set it into context for you.  It's a great Bible reference at just over 400 pages which is an average of 6 pages of information about each book of the Bible.

I also bought The Essential Bible Companion published by Zondervan. It has beautifully coloured maps and photos that help bring the Bible alive. It summarizes each book of the Bible in two short pages for those that want a concise description of each book. It was developed by two world-class Bible scholars and the creator of The Bible in 90 Days curriculum.

 I also picked up this book at a used bookstore.

Ancient Israel, 2nd edition, was published in 1960.  It is a concise, simply written account of the society that produced the Bible. The author traces the fluctuating fortunes of the Hebrews and Israelites between about 2000 and 300 B.C.E., so the reader can see how Jewish religious concepts developed in the context of actual historical situations.

These three books now form the core of my daily study and along with my daily readings, I am hoping to get deeper into what God has in store for me.

If you have particular Bible resources that really helped you, feel free to share them here.

Jonah & the Missions of Hope

I'm linking up with Internet Cafe Devotions today. I hope you will join me.

Hello dear friends,

How are you this fine day? Here where I live the skies have been gray since the weekend and we've been expecting rain. Our first rain for a long time. However the rain did not come and I see the forecast is for increasingly warmer temperatures and more sunshine for the rest of this week. That suits me just fine as I am already missing our Summer though it is now technically Fall/Autumn. The time just seems to pass so fast and where does it go?

Recently, I've seen a theme in the blogs I read; people blogging about time and making the best of the time we have, not wasting it, and being grateful for the ability to just live and grow each day. For life goes in cycles

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Right now it is my time to update you about Jonah and the Missions of Hope, and it is Jonah's time to finalize his thesis and see what next steps God would prepare for his future. Normally Jonah would update you but he is having to conserve money and totally reduce expenses. It costs money to use the internet cafe or to pay for airtime.

 I only have a short report because as I mentioned last time, Jonah was in the middle of his master's thesis and facing a very challenging time financially.  If you are a regular reader of this blog and Jonah's blog, you will know that Jonah never asks for funds for his own personal use. He relies on a faithful donor for his own school needs but recently the financial burden has become too much for the donor.  It is very unfortunate because Jonah is just sooooo close to finishing.

 Jonah's Needs

Jonah has already successfully made it as far as defending his thesis! 

Isn't that a wonderful achievement?!

What needs to be done for Jonah to finish is to go to Uganda (he lives and studies in Kenya through a satellite university) to complete the administrative work for his thesis requirements.

This sounds simple enough but it takes funds he doesn't currently have. He has been working very hard to solicit funds in Kenya to get to Uganda and he is there now but he needs your help to make sure he can complete his task.

If you can help him, please don't delay in sending your donation.  He doesn't have much time to fulfill his requirements.  He also needs to return to Kenya before the end of this month to move from his temporary home where he has been living during his studies.

He needs funds for that too but the main focus is on finalizing the thesis.

Here is a breakdown of the needs for Uganda:

English editor needs : about $50

formatting needs: $30

statistics needs: $50

binding:  $90

travel: $100

lodging: $20

food: $10 per day

miscellaneous: $100

Little Linet's Needs

I cannot forget to update you about Little Linet and I think you will remember that she was to undergo a medical evaluation on August 28, 2012. The evaluation was for the purpose of determining whether she is a candidate for surgery. You might also remember that Little Linet had been having various issues with her mouth causing pain, wounds, odour and inability to eat properly.  The doctors decided to remove some front teeth to help stabilize the situation. 

The real answer to Little Linet's problems is to help Little Linet undergo cleft palate surgery and the first step toward that was an evaluation about whether she is a suitable candidate for cleft palate surgery.

I am so happy to report that Little Linet is indeed a candidate for surgery.

We would like to help her but we need your help to do it.

Can you help this little one? It will take at least $500 for her to have surgery and so I'm starting now to raise the funds. So far, we have raised $60 for the surgery.

The need is really quite easy to be met if we all pull together.

All it takes is 10 people in the whole wide world to give 
$50.00  (Canadian)

Or, 20 people in the whole wide world to give 
$25.00  (Canadian)

Please know that although I do ask for funds on this blog from time to time, there are actually very, very few people who give toward most of the needs we write about .  The exception was little Kigen because one kind hearted singer in Nashville, publicized his need on Facebook.

I don't share this information to whine or complain but only to make it clear what the situation is. I know from time to time you may have questions and though this isn't my ministry as such, I do support it in whatever ways I can and I desire to have others support it too.

God knows in advance who will help at any given time.  He knows who the donors will be or whether there will be no donors at all.  He also knows that he gives every single person out there reading this, countless opportunities to do good each day.  What you read here is only a part of the opportunities that God opens for you but they are important.  God does care about these ones In Kenya who most people don't care about at all. If you are a follower of Christ and his love abides in you, would you be touched to help and care for them too?

Sometimes a giver stre-e-e-e-e-tches to help meet a need. 
That is another simple fact. 

Sometimes needs are not met at all because there is no one willing to reach out and touch.  It is as simple as that. 
God knows our hearts.

I just know that if this little girl were in your living room sitting beside you, it would be hard to turn your head and heart from her because she is a real life person, with real needs and she depends on us to help her mother meet her needs. I know many people get uncomfortable with being confronted by the needs of others or they grow weary but the Bible says

Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.
Galatians 6:9

I know we do grow weary from time to time but God encourages us through his word. He tells us not to grow weary and he tells us how we can avoid it.


But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
 Isaiah 40:31

If  today, you are feeling the love of God and the freedom that God gives to be a cheerful giver, please join hands with the Missions of Hope. Please be as generous as you can so Jonah can finish his thesis requirements and so we can make arrangements for Little Linet's surgery that much faster.  Of course, you don't have to be a Christian to be a giver. So if you are not a Christian, you may want to lend a hand to these dear ones anyway.

There are two people in East Africa, waiting for your help.  Will you be one to help answer their needs?



Let me close by saying a prayer that in n this season of your life, whatever your needs are, whatever you are going through and dealing with, may you too find the comfort and blessings you need, and a hand or two to help you on your way.  For when you are are strong again, you can help another on their journey.  I leave you with a song that seems appropriate. It isn't a Christian song as such but it's sentiments are the same.

 

 God richly bless you.

At the bottom of this post, there are buttons you can use to help spread awareness of the Missions of Hope through this post.  It only takes a moment.

Carrot Cake

It's been a long while since I baked anything or did much cooking.  The weather turned suddenly overcast on Friday.  Combined with all my reading this week and the changing weather, I worked up an appetite for something sweet. In my hurry to whip up the carrot cake (recipe below), I didn't worry about reducing the sugar or finding other ways to reduce the calories. My apologies.

The carrot cake fresh out of the oven.  It needs to cool before frosting.

I think you could easily reduce the sugar called for in this recipe by half and perhaps you can use apple sauce in place of the oil.

In the version I made I didn't have quite enough pecans but I used what I did have (about 1/3 cup). I just put them in the food processor along with the carrots and chopped them all up together.  Often when I've had carrot cake in a coffee shop it has sultana raisins in it though my recipe doesn't call for it.  I didn't have any raisins so I threw in a handful of dried cranberries.

The recipe I've posted is for the full cake.  But since I wanted a snack and I didn't want so much left over carrot cake, I cut this recipe in half. I didn't have a smaller round pan to bake it in so the cake was just a bit flatter (thinner) but it also took less time to bake.  About 30 minutes rather than the 40-50 minutes for the full recipe.  This smelled so heavenly while baking. If you are in a hurry, you can save time by using store bought cream cheese frosting like I did.  I don't want to read the ingredients on the box,  but it tasted pretty good.

Ingredients

Cake

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped pecans
 

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans



Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake. 



This cake was easy to make and very moist and delicious. 
 Do you have a favourite carrot cake recipe?
 If you do, I'd love to hear more about it.

Reading Goals

My get together with friends on Wednesday proved to be a good thing to get me out again but I over exerted myself and I spent the next day taking it easy again and reading.  I also managed to get out for a bit of grocery shopping and to run an errand at the post office.

I finished the book, Medicine River by Thomas King.  The book had been on my "to read" list for many years and at last I can now say that I have finished it and it is no longer on my mind.  My mind does remind me from time to time of things that I have not done.  I found the book to be a satisfactory enough read but I wasn't overly impressed by it.  Perhaps my expectations were too high as I'd long been thinking about it.  The book is not so long and is written in an easy, conversational style which made me read it more slowly.  I read it as if I was hearing the characters in the book speaking.

What distinguishes this book from many other books I've read, is that it was written by a Native American author of Cherokee, Greek and German-American descent.  The setting of the story in the book is a reserve in western Canada, probably because the author lived and worked in Lethbridge, Alberta for many years. Those of you who live in Canada may have see the television movie based on this book.  I think that it is good to be exposed to more Native American writers but I don't think there are that many of them.

After finishing that book, I read, The Empress, written by Shan Sa. Shan Sa is the pen name of Yan Ni, who was born in Beijing, China, and later moved to France with her father in 1990.

Her novel is based on the life of  the Empress of China, Empress Wu, the only reigning female in the history of China (c.625-705). The book started and ended rather interestingly, with the Empress telling the story of her own birth and death. The rest of the book was a bit disappointing to me.  I was a bit taken aback by the amount of debauchery attributed to that time period. But if you are interested in the history of China, female leaders throughout history, and early history of China, then this book is loaded with detail.

In the notes at the back of the book the author says,

"Empress is the encounter of two Chinese women, myself and Empress Wu. I came to Paris in 1990 at the age of seventeen.  Coming from post-Cultural Revolution China to Paris, this city of luxury and lust, I felt the shock and suffering that my heroine experienced when she entered life in the Forbidden City.

The historical research took three years, and I made several trips to China to explore the regions where the Empress had lived."

I think the following quote from p. 317 of the book sums up the story quite well.

"Time passed. The wheel of fortune turned. Skills vanished in the flames of war, and men no longer knew how to build palaces tall enough to touch the clouds. The Tatars streamed in from the deserts and the steppes, one dynasty followed another. Women abandoned the arts and bound their feet. Emperors continued with the Mandarin competitions I had instigated and still used the urn of Truth I invented. But I had become a symbol of a corrupt woman. The Annals told how I had strangled my daughter so that I could ascribe the crime to Empress Wang. Misogynistic historians accused me of poisoning my son Splendor who contested my authority. Novelists invented a life of debauchery for me, attributing their own fantasies to me. With passing time, the truth became unclear, and the lies took root."

It is difficult for me to know how much of the personal details of the Empress were true and how much was the author's imagination.  The quote from the book leads me to think that much was the author's imagination. However the author's notes suggest that the tremendous detail about the cultural aspects and ceremony of the times are based on historical facts.

My next book is The Help, which has already been made into a movie. I am also going to finish People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.

I've also been in touch with my blogging friend, Fred Alton, whom some of you know. He has encouraged his readers to read the Bible in one year. I've always read the Bible but I don't think I've ever read it from cover to cover, or in one year though it's been something I've wanted to do for some time. Fred has given me some good tips and this reading project fits in nicely with my goal of studying the Bible.

 I'm making good progress on my reading goals for this year.   

What about you dear reader. Have you set any reading goals? Have you read either of the books in my post or the Bible from cover to cover? I'm interested in your thoughts on these books or about your experiences with the Bible reading.