Master Chef night

Last Sunday was our Master Chef night, thanks to James for organising a wonderful evening. Here is his evaluation of the night;

Well what a night we had on Sunday. The first Brimbank Master Chef event was fiercely contested with outstanding fare being produced. It wasn't all cut-throat though, as we experienced first hand the skills of the industry thanks to special guest Alan. Alan demonstrated how to cut an onion, mushrooms and even how to dissect an orange. An we were all wowed as in the words of Lightning McQueen from the Pixar animated movie Cars: He was faster then fast, he was speed.

We were also treated to a Masterclass as Alan demonstrated to make a delicious yet simple pilaf (recipe to follow). This was combined with a rendang which became dinner. The rendang was our taste test, as team Brent went head to head with team Kerryn, smelling, tasting and trying to identify ingredients- at least no-one ended up with a minus score.

The pressure test- 40 minutes to cook Neil Perry's BBQ Chicken with Zucchini puree with mashed potato. The results were spectacular and the judges all had a very difficult decision to make- in the end though it was team Brent whose spectacular chicken gave them a slight edge.

The final challenge was a mystery box, team Brent made something and team Kerryn produced crepes with baileys filled with chocolate/caramel. And it was the mystery box that finally separated the two teams giving team Kerryn the win.

Special thanks to Alan Torrance for his time, his demonstrations and his judging. Also special thanks to Sarah Burge who organised a lot of ingredients and provided insightful comments as one of our esteemed judges. Also thanks to all who helped clean up at the end.

-James H.

Young Adults ice skating at the Docklands, Melbourne

BAC into it

Brimbank Anglican Church Young Adult stuff is all back on. There's lots of fun and spiritual leveling up to be had.

Make sure you all come to see James ice skate this Sunday. Someone bring a camera.

Unbirthday Party

Younger siblings always have it easy

Someone I know was shown kindness and compassion this week. They were offered a second chance and help to make good on it.
And I will confess that I resented it. Time and effort and grace were lavished on someone who didn't deserve it, while I felt like I was ignored and dismissed.
And then I remembered the Prodigal Son (Luke 15). How his older brother refused to celebrate when he came home, instead complaining that all the attention was being given to the one who had been selfish and careless, while the one who had worked faithfully had never been celebrated. And I was embarrassed to realise that my internal whinge was echoed in the story.
Like many older siblings, I am very good at pointing out how younger siblings are always spoiled. But this week, I needed to stop and realise that if I truly love my heavenly Father, I should rejoice when one of His children comes home. I should be pleased (but not proud!) that I don't need quite so much help to continue on - while at the same time recognising that there has always been grace available for me when I have wandered.
That's a hard lesson for a neurotic oldest child to learn.

Crossing the Road for One Another

Some thoughts of another:

We become neighbours when we are willing to cross the road for one another. There is so much separation and segregation in our world today: between gay people and straight people, between young people and old people, between sick people and healthy people, between prisoners and free people, between Muslims and Christians, Protestants and Catholics.

There is a lot of road crossing to do. We are all very busy in our own circles. We have our own people to go to and our own affairs to take care of. But if we could cross the road once in a while and pay attention to what is happening on the other side, we might indeed become neighbours.

James

Farewell Tri...

I first met Tri on Ash Wednesday 2008.  It was my first time at BAC and I was a bit nervous about fitting in.  Tri sat by my side the whole time and everyone was lovely, but Tri made me me feel like I belonged.  Ever since then I have felt like we shared a strong connection.  Each and every person has their own similar story of how Tri has touched their lives, so as a group, we were determined to send him off in style. There were sixteen of us present, and the night began with a delicious home-cooked meal, followed by the presentation of gifts, then competitive games and reminiscing of past adventures!  On behalf of the Young Adults Group we wish Tri, Cate, Celia and Noah the best of luck for the future and pray for James as he strives to find a direction and purpose for us.  

-Sarah B.

(Thanks for the photo Elise!)

Being Broken

Here are some thoughts by Henri Nouwen that gave me cause to pause and consider, so i thought i would share them with you all:

Jesus was broken on the cross. He lived his suffering and death not as an evil to avoid at all costs but as a mission to embrace. We too are broken. We live with broken bodies, broken hearts, broken minds, or broken spirits. We suffer from broken relationships.

How can we live in our brokeness? Jesus invites us to embrace our brokeness as he embraced the cross and live it as part of our mission. He asks us not to reject our brokeness as a curse from God that reminds us of our sinfulness but to accept it and put it under God's blessing for our purification and sanctification. Thus, our brokeness can become a gateway to new life.

Peace,
James

BAC Carol Service

For those who weren't at the Carol Service last Sunday, you missed a great night! Fortunately the entire service is on CD for Sharmini who is in PNG, so if anyone would like a copy please let me know. Merry Christmas to all, and on a personal note; thanks to everyone at BAC, especially the Young Adults group for making me feel welcome over the past year.. you guys are the best!  

Here are a few links to some of the performances from Sunday night.  Good luck to those singing/playing at the Christmas Eve Services, I'll be thinking of you!

http://www.zshare.net/download/5314847187374fd6/

http://www.zshare.net/download/53147765dbbee4b7/

http://www.zshare.net/download/531488350d28ab9e/

You may need to copy and paste the links as I'm not so clever with this kind of thing!  See you in 2009..

Christmas can change the world!

The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love.

So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists.

And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?

Welcome to Advent Conspiracy. http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

PNG

In theory, I will have email access as usual. I love theories.
Also, I have a blog (!) that I occasionally update - especially for those of you with culinary expertise who might be able to enter my 'Iron Stomach Chef' competition!

http://sharminime.blogspot.com/

Don't forget your homework!

Just a friendly reminder if anyone happens to check this, ever!
Have a think about what God has gifted you to do, and how you can use that to serve God in the world.
Think about your:
Strengths
Topics
Optimal conditions
Relationships
YES! - what makes you feel like you know you've done the right thing?

All the best - I'll be praying.

Oh, and I stil have some buttons left over if anyone needs them.

Testing, testing, 1-2-3

I gather that this is supposed to be a tool for communication, so let's see if it works.

This Sunday, prior to the big do at the Donalds' place, it would be good to meet at the church at 5pm to practise music for Christmas.

Please let me know if you can or can't come or whatever....

Regards,
Shar

Young Adults on 23rd November

On 23rd November instead of meeting at the church we will meet at Jennifer and Phillip's house.

-
Phil

survivor - Coolamatong 08