In My Life

“There’s got to be more to life than this!” It’s rhetorical, but the speaker is hoping her friend has an answer. She’s just broken up with her lover and, feeling lonely and dejected, has reached out to her boss for solace. They’re detectives in an English series set in Holland. This comes at the start of another murder mystery. Her ‘question’ is left dangling for days, so it’s no surprise to see her just as confused as we are, when out of nowhere, 90 minutes later in our time, in the closing scene, he answers, “There is.” Mystified she asks, “What is?” He mumbles, “There is more to life than this.” Cut to credits and clips from next week’s show.

This exemplifies something that I was taught about the craft of sermon writing. Pose a pertinent question at the beginning, with an illustration, that will be answered by the end. “Many will have forgotten the purpose of the message, but returning to the opening will bring it all back home to your hearers.” It’s a bit like bookends.

The words were different but she asked the same question I did when I was lost and desperate for a reason to go on living. I waited years for the answer. I wanted to know, “What’s it all about? Why are we here? Where are we going? What’s the point of living?” How about you?

I’m pretty sure that the senior detective in the story above came to that conclusion after having convinced the murderer, an avid atheist, not to throw himself off a high-rise roof into possible utter darkness; or worse.

Something old worth watching

“To End All Wars” – starring Kiefer Sutherland and Robert Carlyle. Captured by the Japanese a group of courageous soldiers are forced to build a railway from Thailand to Burma. A story of intense internal battles as each prisoner strives to survive in the face of gross inhumanity – including believers. Be warned: some graphic torture and language.

Char-grilled capsicum – my recipe

When I was a kid one of our staple breakfast foods was char-grilled capsicums and tomatoes on toast.  They were cooked on top of the hotplate of our wood-fired stove – turned over as they became charred, then allowed to cool, peeled, salted and peppered, and drizzled with olive oil. 

Since I don’t have a hotplate like that I cook them in the oven.  Whenever I’m baking something at 180 or 200 degrees, I pop a few into a paper-lined cake-tin along with some cloves of garlic.  It’s best to pierce them on top first, but that’s it. 

When I’m finished baking I turn off the oven and leave them in overnight.  Next morning their skins are like paper and are easily peeled.  Seeds and stems are removed, then, I cut them into manageable strips and squeeze the contents of the garlic on top.  Add salt, pepper, olive oil, and a dash of balsamic glaze.  Mix it up and voila – a great topping for toast, eggs, or bacon. 

If there are leftovers, they will store for days in the fridge and can be added to sandwiches or crackers with avocado, hummus, feta, or cottage cheese.  I also add them to pizza toppings and eat them as a side dish with cold meat or salad.

A quotable quote – from On the Road with Saint Augustine

The insatiability of my hunger isn’t a bug but a feature – a signal that I long for something infinite.  Wanting more isn’t the problem; it’s where I keep looking for it. James A. K. Smith

The wisdom of Paul Simon’s lyrics

He may not have all the answers, but Paul Simon, like most of us, has deep yearnings and dreams of better things.  In the days ahead I’m going to introduce you to some of what he has written.  For example…

The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains. From Train in the Distance

I believe in the future we shall suffer no more, maybe not in my lifetime, but in yours, I feel sure. From The Cool, Cool River

Compare these words with the St Paul’s Letter to the Romans (8:18-24).

COVID-19 observations

While we’re confined to our homes we need fewer and fewer clothes.  If we do have to dash out to the shops, we can slip on what we wore last time when we were out for just a few minutes.  It’s got me thinking, “It’s time to downsize the wardrobe!  What hasn’t been worn in the last 12 months must go.”

Home cooking is having a revival.  Every time I post a recipe or photo of food on Instagram, there are immediate responses.  Gardening is also making a comeback.

This is just week one of the ‘stay at home’ ruling and I’ve already sorted the pantry, cleared out the tool shed, thinned out the linen and bedding, re-potted the herbs, and begun work on the unpacked boxes in the garage.  What’s left to do after that?