Posted on July 15, 2019June 23, 2023 by Angela Jelf · 8 Comments

Restoring The Secret Garden

Recently, my daughter Emily has discovered one of my favourite childhood books, The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It’s a beautiful story about a long forgotten garden, and the lives of the characters who discover it, gradually being restored.

In the following extract, the main character, Mary, (with the help of a friendly Robin) finally gets into the the secret garden, which has been locked up for ten years.

Mary’s heart began to thump and her hands to shake a little in her delight and excitement. The robin kept singing and twittering away and tilting his head on one side, as if he were as excited as she was. What was this under her hands which was square and made of iron which her fingers found a hole in? It was the lock of the door that had been closed ten years, and she put her hand in her pocket, drew out the key, and found it fitted the keyhole. She put the key in and turned it. It took two hands to do it, but it did turn.

And then she took a long breath and looked behind her up the long walk to see if anyone was coming. No one was coming. No one ever did come, it seemed, and she took another long breath, because she could not help it, and she held back the swinging curtain of ivy and pushed back the door, which opened slowly – slowly.

Then she slipped through it, and shut it behind her, and stood with her back against it, looking about her and breathing quite fast with excitement, and wonder, and delight.

She was standing inside the secret garden.

The Robin Who Showed the Way, Chapter 8 – The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett

A Place of Delight

Right at the start God placed mankind in a garden. Have you ever wondered why?

The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight, and good for food.
Genesis 2:8

Whether or not you like gardening, I’m sure everyone of us would agree that spending time in a well-tended garden can have an extremely restorative effect on the soul.

*Photographs taken at Sissinghurst, a National Trust Garden I recently visited*

From the above verse, we learn that God not only planted trees and greenery to give us nourishing food, but also as a visual feast for the eye to behold! Scientists have discovered that green is the most restful colour for the human eye to gaze upon. And God made an abundance of it! What an amazingly kind and generous Father!

Many biblical scholars talk about Eden being a place where Adam and Eve walked and talked with the Lord, in perfect intimacy and without any shame. The name Eden itself, means delight!

The Fall

We all know of course, the sad story of the fall. Of how this amazing openness and trust between God and man was stolen by Satan, the father of lies.

We hear about how God drove Adam and Eve out of the garden, and placed the cherubim and the flaming sword to guard the way back to garden.

We also know, that right at the start, in midst of the garden, stood the tree of life! The good news is, that even before the foundation of the world, even before mankind sinned, Jesus, the lamb of God, was slain on the tree to restore us to right relationship with the Father!

Open the gates – The King of Glory is Coming In!

When you become a Christian and surrender your life to Jesus, it’s a bit like giving Him the keys to a locked-up garden! The King of glory comes to take up residence within us! In comes the Master Gardener to do His incredible, transformative, work in the garden of our hearts.

I have a very small garden – it’s about 55 feet long. When we moved into our house, ten years ago, it was literally a terraced lawn, flanked by two small strips of sun-baked earth. It had not plant, nor flower, nor anything remotely beautiful about it. The only thing it did have, was a ton of weeds, and a ton of potential!

My mum has always had a love for gardening – I learned from watching her over the years, that if you want to sit in a nice garden, you’ve got to roll up your sleeves and get digging! And so I began…

Turning over the soil was hard graft. Removing all the stones and stubborn weeds was painstakingly laborious. The groundwork was probably 80-90 percent of the job. And it’s an ongoing task!

Ten years later, after much trial and error, weeding and digging, procrastinating and persevering, I now have a place where I can sit on a warm summer’s evening and enjoy the colour that each season brings, plus the occasional visit from a robin or a blue-tit. It is my delight. Not because it is yet perfect, but because it’s come on such a long way!

*Potted Pansies brighten up a spring morning*

Unseen Work

When you go and visit a beautiful garden, it’s so easy to miss the hours of work that have gone into it. What we don’t see, are the unseen hands and feet that have spent hours and hours digging and weeding and pruning and mowing. The garden, in many ways, is just the outward display. But it’s the unseen effort, that has taken place, perhaps whilst the garden was closed, probably in the early hours of the morning, when nobody was watching that has made all the difference.

Aren’t our lives a bit like this?

Much of the fruit that we display in our lives, is formed and fashioned in the secret place. It’s the times when we’re alone with Jesus, often in the early hours, when nobody is watching, when God’s handiwork is really done.

The Secret Place

“But when you pray, go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Matthew 6:6

Today, I believe God is calling us afresh, through the rusty gate, down the path, and into the garden – to the secret place. He longs to meet with each one of us on a daily basis. To walk and talk with us in the cool of the day. Today, if you listen carefully, I believe that you might just hear Him calling you.

Will you trust me? Will you yield to Me and allow Me to have My way in your life? Will you allow Me to root out the stubborn sins that spoil and choke growth? Will you seek after me with all your heart, and spend time with Me in the secret place when nobody is watching.

I know exactly what kind of garden I want you to be. I have a unique design and plan for each one of you. I want your life to reflect My beauty and My glory. I want you to carry My fragrance and to become a place that others can come to for rest and refreshment.

Today I stand at the door and knock – will you open the door of your heart?

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this post, you might also like the following:

everydayencounters;

https://everydayencounterhttps://imarriedatravelagent.com/2019/07/09/sissinghurst-visit-to-an-english-country-garden/s.blog/2014/06/07/

growing-pains

Posted on June 27, 2019February 27, 2020 by Angela Jelf · 3 Comments

A Whole Lotta’ Self Control…

The other evening, I overheard Nathan talking with our six year old about ‘self-control’.

Nathan said to Emily: “Have you heard about the fruit of the Spirit?”

Emily replied: “Oh yeah, I know all about that…I think one of them’s a coconut!”

Well, as you can imagine, there wasn’t much self control after this comment – we just errupted into laughter! Kids! Don’t you just love them?!

But i’ve found myself thinking about self control ever since. I hope you don’t mind me sharing a few thoughts…

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls!
Proverbs 25:28

Confession Time

Wow! Isn’t this such a powerful and accurate image? I can so relate to this…When I first got married and had kids, I’m sorry to say, I discovered I had a bit of a temper. Maybe it’s the red hair, or something, I dunno? Or maybe it was the stress of having twins first time round? But anyway…it wasn’t good!

Here’s a typical scene that might have played out : (the part about the eggs is absolutely true btw)

The kids would wake up at the crack of dawn. I’d be cranky and tired after being kept up in the night. One of them would spill their breakfast. Milk would literally be dripping off the table. Then me and Nathan would have a cross word about something or other as he was going out the door to work. I’d decide to bake a cake to cheer myself up. I’d open the fridge door and realise we were out of eggs. I’d load the kids into the double buggy, and set off down the road to the shops. Whilst shopping, one of the twins would start screaming because they wanted some sweets or a magazine. The buggy would keep tipping up. I’d plod home feeling more and more wound up. I’d unload the shopping and place it on the kitchen table. Then the phone would ring. It would be an annoying sales call. I’d walk back into the kitchen to discover that one of the kids had cracked every single egg I’d just bought, and I now had a sloppy, gloopy mess all over the floor. And to top it all off, I’d now have to go back to the shops.

And then something inside me would just go snap!

I’d fly off the handle, yelling at the kids only to feel hopelessly, despairingly guilty about it afterwards. I’d berate myself mercilessly and vow I’d never shout at the kids again – only to do it again a few days later. It was like a terrible cycle. I felt powerless and unable to change.

Like a city broken into and left without walls…

I don’t know if youve ever heard of Colin Buchanan, the Australian Kids worship guy? Well, he’s just fantastic! He’s written a song called ‘A Whole Lotta Self Control’. The words are great:

When you bite your tongue, and you hammer your thumb,
And your brain is starting to ache,
When the traffic’s crawlin’ and the mower’s stallin’
And you’re just about ready to break,
When you’re getting hassled beyond belief,
Don’t give everybody else the grief
It’s time for a whole lotta self control,
It’s time to fix your eyes on the heavenly goal,
Well it’s time to keep in step with the Spirit,
If you’ve gone and put your big foot in it,
Confess your sin and consider the good of your soul,
And pray for a whole lotta’ self control!
Colin Buchanan – from the album entitled “follow the saviour”

The Good News!

I am so pleased to say that things began to change in me, when I regularly began to cry out to God for help!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and SELF CONTROL!
Galatians 5:22

Self control is NOT produced by human effort…it’s not a work of SELF, as it’s name might suggest, it’s a work of the Spirit!

Friends, this is such amazing news! I don’t have to try and conjur up self control without the Holy Spirit’s help. I don’t have to grit my teeth, or beat myself up in order to produce it. The law renders me powerless. My flesh is just flesh. I can’t produce any Spiritual Fruit without the Holy Spirit.

Grapes, or tomatoes, or apples or peaches – they don’t struggle to appear, do they? Fruit comes as a result of the tree being rooted in good soil. The sun shines, the rains come…and pop! One day the fruit just appears.

*The wonderful Farm Shop at Pollhill, bursting with fruit and veg*

I am the Vine and you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do NOTHING.
John 15:5

My job, is just to abide….to remain attached and connected to Jesus, the Vine. My job is to keep in step with the Spirit. How? By asking for help. By leaning in close to my ALL SUFFICIENT SAVIOUR. By asking Him to fill me and give me all I need to face the day. By coming daily to the throne of grace, for mercy and help in my time of need.

If you’re in need of some self-control today – ASK! Speak to Your Heavenly Father – confess your lack, and ask for the Holy Spirit’s help. He is able to strengthen us in the inner man.

This is how we overcome!

Posted on June 25, 2019June 26, 2019 by Angela Jelf · 12 Comments

Bangin’ Salmon!

This Salmon dish was one of those really fortunate experiments that turned out right first time! It’s seriously tasty, and an absolute doddle to make. It’s become a fast favourite of mine for occasions when I’m entertaining, as it can be prepared in advance, and it’s soooo easy to make, that it frees you up to concentrate on catching up with your friends! Also, it’s pretty healthy, so you don’t need to feel too guilty about having dessert!

I’ve named it ‘Bangin’ Salmon’ – as this seems to be my three teenage kids’ new word for anything that’s ‘cool’, ‘fab’ or in any way ‘good!’ (And because ‘Serendipitous Salmon’ just doesn’t have quite the same ring…)

Anyway, here’s how I made it:

Step 1:

Place some Salmon Fillets in a foil lined tray. Season generously and add some finely chopped red onions, red peppers and Vine/Cherry Tomatoes.

Step 2 – Glaze

My glaze consisted of:

a chunk of finely chopped fresh ginger,
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Sweet Chili Sauce
1 tablespoon or so of freshly squeezed lime juice

I made this up really quickly in a dish.

Step 3

Pour the glaze all over the Salmon, and pocket the salmon loosely in foil, adding some fresh coriander, if you like it.

Cook for about 25-30 mins on a moderate heat (I cooked mine in a fan oven at 180 degrees). You’ll know everything’s ready when the fish turns pale and flakes easily, and the tomatoes are close to bursting. And the smell of all that yummy glaze will make your mouth water.

Serve with new potatoes, broccoli, or a crisp green salad, and of course a glass of Pinot Grigio! And be sure to spoon over some of that glaze – delicious!

Posted on June 19, 2019July 3, 2019 by Angela Jelf · 8 Comments

A Moment With My Maker

Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies, Your righteousness is like the mountains of God, Your judgements are like a great deep
Psalm 36: 5-6

*Barbados, August, 2018* – Read more about my travels at http://imarriedatravelagent.com

I waded through the water,

Ever deeper out to sea,

Using all my strength to push against

The waves surrounding me,

I laughed and caught my breath,

The bracing temperature surprising,

Then plunged my shoulders under,

And felt my spirits rising,

The waves they did not heed me,

As they drew me out and in,

They swirled and crashed about me,

With their great resounding din!

How small and insignificant,

I felt amid the weight,

Of those foamy, rolling billows,

The Atlantic vast and great.

Then I thought about Your power, as strong as any breaker,

And I thought about Your glory,

Oh Lord, Almighty Maker!

And I sensed Your gentle whisper, with the ocean’s crashing roar,

“My love for you is deeper

Than these waves you stand before!

My grace is more relentless than the never-ceasing wave.

And my love is so much stronger than the power of the grave!”

Posted on May 23, 2019May 23, 2019 by Angela Jelf · 1 Comment

Delicious Home-made Tomato Soup

Our family have all been really poorly this week. When you need a bit of a pick-me-up, this homemade tomato soup is like sunshine in a bowl.

It’s zingy, tangy, sweet and savoury, bursting with the vibrant flavour of roasted Vine Ripened Tomatoes.

I constantly find myself marveling at the abundant array of foods that God has provided for us! And in my humble opinion, tomatoes are up there with the best.

Tomatoes are a great source of antioxidants, which promote heart health.

Some people say that God gives us visible clues about the nutritional benefits of foods. I don’t know how true that is, but cross-section a tomato and you find a sort of four-chambered interior!

They are also choc-full of Vitamin C, Potassium, Vitamin K and Folate.

And best of all, they’re absolutely yummy. So what are you waiting for?

Step 1

Place a selection of fresh tomatoes, preferably Vine-Ripened into a roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Oven roast at approx 180 degrees for 20 mins.

Step 2

Chop an onion and 2-3 stalks of celery. Saute in a swig of olive oil until softening. Add one chopped clove garlic and some grated fresh ginger, for extra depth.

Step 3

Add a tin of chopped tomatoes. Fill up the empty tin with water a few times to get all the juice that’s stuck to the sides, and add the water to the pan to form a stock. Add a vegetable stock cube and a generous teaspoon or two of sugar.

Step Four

Bring to the boil and then turn down heat to a simmer. Add in 2-3 handfuls of red lentils. These provide a lovely, chunky thickness to the soup, and the added bonus is, they’re good for you! Add a little more seasoning. Cover and simmer for approx 20 mins, being careful to stir every so often so the lentils don’t stick to bottom of the pan. Add more water if stock is getting too thick.

Step 5

By now your roasted tomatoes should be cooked literally to bursting point.

The red lentils should have softened too. Add the roasted tomatoes into the soup and blitz everything up with a hand blender, (or crush with a masher if you don’t have one).

Add a squeeze of lemon if you have any. Season to taste. Add some torn basil leaves…and dive on in! You’ll be back for more!

Absolutely beautiful with a hunk of bread and cheese!

Posted on May 2, 2019May 2, 2019 by Angela Jelf · 4 Comments

Tight Places

This morning I had to perform a three-point-turn in front of a group of builders. They were digging up the road ahead of me.

Oh the embarrassment.

I’ve been driving for over 25 years now, and it’s a manouvre I know perfectly well how to perform…Except when I have an audience.

The road was exceedingly narrow. There were parked cars all around. Oh the pressure! Come on Ange. You can do this. Just keep calm and carry on.

quotesgram.com

The builders, seemed to enjoy the opportunity to help a damsel in distress, and soon got involved, beckoning me backwards, gesticulating wildly.

I’m happy to report that I made it, unscathed! But I must admit, it was quite a relief to pull away and get out of that tight spot!

I’ve just been reading Psalm 118, and I came across the following verses:

From my distress I called upon the Lord. The Lord answered me and set me in a large place.
Psalm 118:5

My bible notes showed me that the word ‘distress’ here, literally means ‘tight place’.

The Psalmist is proclaiming that in his distress; his predicament; his tight spot, he called upon the Lord, and the Lord provided an enlargement, a rescue plan, a way of escape, a broad place -God sets us free!

Maybe you’ve lost a job or have financial pressures. Maybe you’ve got a job, but you’re up to your eyeballs in stress. Perhaps you’re battling with ill health. Perhaps, like me, you’ve got a house full of teenagers…Wow – can that feel overwhelming at times?! Or a house full of little ones, and you’re exhausted with sleepless nights. Perhaps you’re going through a difficulty in your marriage.

Life is full of pressure, that’s for sure.

I just want to encourage you today – if you’re in a tight spot, if you’re feeling like the pressures of life have got you hemmed in, then call upon the Lord! He is our strong deliverer! He may not remove the situation entirely, but He is the God who is able to ‘relieve us in our distress,’ (Psalm 4:1). He is the God who takes our burdens upon His own shoulders, saying: ‘Cast your cares on Me, for I care for you!” (1 Peter 5:7)

I pray that if you are in a tight spot today, that you will know God as your deliverer. I pray that as you wait on Him, He will renew your strength, and you will experience Him lifting you up, on wings as eagles, into a broader place, where you will find the space to breath again!

Posted on April 29, 2019May 3, 2019 by Angela Jelf · 2 Comments

He Knows My Name!

Have you ever been in one of those situations where you need to resolve a Customer Services problem….online?

On the screen, you find a list of generic options. Is your query about: a, b, c or d?

Well actually…it’s not really about any of the above. You scroll around, searching for more information. Aren’t there any other options…? Like Option e? Or f?

Ok, you think…I’ll give them a call instead. I need to speak to an ‘actual’ person about my own particular, unique situation.

So you scroll through every inch of the website, with a magnifying glass, only to find that there is no mention of a telephone number anywhere. Strange that. There’s just a tab that says: “Need help? Click Here.”

So you click on the tab..and you’re instantly pinged back to EXACTLY THE SAME LIST OF GENERIC OPTIONS YOU STARTED WITH!

I know, I’m writing in capitals, and that’s bad ‘netiquette’. But, this sort of thing makes me want to tear out the tresses from mine very own head!

But it also makes me really, really glad about this verse in Hebrews:

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need – Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)

Wow! Even though God, the Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth, dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim 6:16), I have complete access into His presence.

I do not need a customer reference number. I dont need to register before I can talk to Him. I’ll never be put on hold or locked out because I can’t remember my password!

He is not some indifferent, unsympathetic bod on the end of a phone, whose attitude towards me is: “hey, don’t ask me, I just work here!”

I have a Great High Priest who is able to sympathise with my weaknesses (Hebrews 4:14-15). He is for me, and not against me. He’s on my side. He knows me inside out and upside down, as an individual.

He knows me by name! (John 10:3)

He formed me. He knows when I sit down and when I rise up. He knows my thoughts from afar and is familiar with all my ways. (Psalm 139)

Matthew 10:30 tells me: “But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.”

It’s staggering.

God doesn’t keep us at arms length, He says come to me! Come if you’re thirsty. Come if you’re weak. Come if you’re weary and heavy laden. Come BOLDLY before the throne of Grace, to obtain mercy and help in time of need.

Praise God, by the blood of Jesus, I have 24-7 access to my Father in heaven.

Posted on April 10, 2019April 11, 2019 by Angela Jelf · 5 Comments

Soar!

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit…
Romans 8:3-4

The law is a tyrant,

A ball and a chain,

That reads out my failures

Again and again,

Relentlessly tells me I should have done better,

Hounds me with guilt,

Til regret is my fetter,

Watches me stumble,

Beneath its great load,

Adding heavier rocks

As I trudge down the road.

And if I progress

And begin to take heart,

The arm of the law,

Drags me back to the start!

Your grace finds me there,

By the side of the road,

Breaks off my shackles, and carries my load,

Cancels my debts,

And calls me by name,

Gives me beauty for ashes,

A crown, for my shame.

Wraps me in robes,

And anoints me with gladness,

Washes away all the strife and the sadness.

Run girl, run!

The law demands,

But gives me neither feet nor hands,

Far better news the gospel brings,

It bids me fly and gives me wings.

(Inspired by one of my favourite John Bunyan quotes)

Posted on January 19, 2019January 20, 2019 by Angela Jelf · 2 Comments

A Visit To St. Paul’s

Recently, on John Piper’s Desiring God website, we came across a recommended reading list, which includes many great classics by authors such as A.W Pink, R.C. Sproul and J.I. Packer. Feeling inspired, Nathan ordered a selection of them for us to read – including this little beauty.

A couple of pages into The Cross of Christ, in a chapter entitled: The Centrality of the Cross, I came across the following excerpt:

Imagine a stranger visiting St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Having been brought up in a non-Christian culture, he knows next to nothing about Christianity. Yet he is more than a tourist; he is personally interested and keen to learn. Walking along Fleet Street, he is impressed by the grandeur of the building’s proportions, and marvels that Sir Christopher Wren could have conceived such an edifice after the Great Fire of London in 1666. As his eyes attempt to take it in, he cannot help noticing the huge golden cross which dominates its dome.
He enters the cathedral and stands at its central point under the dome. Trying to grasp the size and shape of the building, he becomes aware that its ground plan, consisting of nave and transepts, is cruciform. He walks round and observes that each side chapel contains what looks to him like a table, on which prominently, there stands a cross. He goes downstairs into the crypt to see the tombs of famous men such as Sir Christopher Wren himself, Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington: a cross is engraved on each.
John Stott – The Cross of Christ

I found myself greatly intrigued by this description of the grand old Cathedral that graces the skyline of our beloved Capital City. So on 28th December, 2018, Emily and I set off on a grand adventure to visit St. Paul’s.

We emerged out of Blackfriars Railway station, not too sure which way to go. We needn’t have worried, however – There in the distance, we soon caught sight of the iconic dome and spires. A stroll up Ludgate Hill, offered us a wonderful vantage point from which to take in the splendour of the Cathedral. And there, right at the top was that Golden Cross.

Unfortunately, as it’s a place of worship, visitors are asked to refrain from taking photographs in the main part of the cathedral. It’s a shame, as the interior is just as stunning as the exterior. However, I couldn’t resist a quick snap of the Nativity, after all, it’s only there once a year.

I settled on buying a guidebook, and some postcards, which I hope will give you a glimpse into the Cathedrals’ astonsishing vaulted ceilings, adorned with their ornate carvings, and mosaics.

The black and white tiled floor, the chandeliers giving off their soft glow, the intricacy of the mosaics and vaulted chambers overhead- it was difficult to know where to look first! Such a spectacular work of architecture, all built to the glory of God, triggered an unexpected wave of emotion.

A Service at St Pauls

The Floorplan, shows the Cruciform shape of the building

Standing beneath that central dome, I gazed upwards, taking in the sheer brilliance and significance of the architect’s plan. The epicentre of the entire building, famous the world over, situated right in the middle of a cross.

At 111.3 metres high, it is one of the largest Cathedral domes in the world, and weighs approx 65,000 tons.

Emily, who has just studied the Great Fire of London at school, was fascinated to learn about the original cathedral being burnt down

After a lovely browse in the Cathedral Gift Shop, and a refreshing stop in the cafe, our adventure led us 259 steps up into the fascinating Whispering Gallery, where legend has it that due to the amazing acoustics of the dome, you can hear the slightest whisper from the opposite side of the circular balcony.

A further 376 steps brought us out onto the Stone Gallery, with glimpses of London’s skyline seen through stone ballestrades.

And then – not for the faint hearted – another 528 spiral steps, and we had made it to the Golden Gallery, 85 metres above the Cathedral Floor. God had blessed us with the clearest of days. The climb was well worth it. The views were extraordiary.

We made it! 1,163 steps above London!

This extraordinary Cathedral, built out of the ashes of a Great Fire, is definitely one of the most special places I have ever set foot in.

Here are a few thoughts I came away with:

How can I make the cross central in my life, this coming year?
How, as a Temple of the Holy Spirit, can I glorify God more?
Sir Christopher Wren’s Cathedral, built in the aftermath of the Great Fire of London, in my opinion, is greater than the original. This stirs my faith that God can redeem the worst situation and turn it around for His glory!