Hobart Synagogue and Greek food

 Hobart Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Australia, built in 1845 - its architecture is described to be Egyptian Revival, presumably because they've "revived" ancient Egyptian motifs such as the leaf design on its pillars?

 It was beautiful to look at, just amazing how well preserved everything is!

 Here's the front part where they keep the Torah scrolls.

 All of these scrolls are hand copied!

 This back bit with names of people who've contributed to it reminds me of Brethren churches from that same era.

Our guide was really knowledgeable and answered all our questions on the building, Judaism, even the history of the Jewish people in Tasmania and Australia. This is certainly worth a visit even if you're not Jewish!

More information here.

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Filos at Elizabeth St mall

This Greek restaurant/cafe is excellent! Greek guitar music playing in the background, warm service, makes you feel like you're eating as a guest in a Greek home!
That it's a family run business adds to the feeling of authenticity, along with the photos of Greek scenes on the walls.

The menu items included quite a few lesser known Greek dishes, such as dakos and Kokkinisto, as well as the well known Moussakas and souvlakis. 

 The wide array of desserts made it so tempting! there was even Greek baklawa and kourobiedes [nut biscuits] What I loved most about this place is that it's so unpretentious and affordable, with a relaxed atmosphere. Coffee was great too!

We went for the grilled meat platter for one, below, very tasty and moist marinated chicken and lamb, which went perfectly well with the tzaziki yoghurt sauce and flatbreads.

and below, the mousakka - cheesy, creamy, eggplanty and meaty. Loved it!

I'd love to come back to try all the other menu items. a must visit if you like meat or Mediterranean food.

some Greek language trivia:

How are you? - dikanis

good! - galah

very good! - polygalah
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FILOS Cafe Restaurant
39 Elizabeth St, in the mall
Hobart – Tasmania

Tel: (03)62001758

Forgiveness - what is it?

Ask 10 people what forgiveness is and you'll get 11 different answers.

Some popular answers are:

- when you don't feel hurt or angry anymore
- deciding not to take revenge
- telling the person who wronged you "it's okay"
- cancelling the "debt"
- reconciling with the perpetrator
- saying to them "i forgive you" [but not necessarily knowing what it means!]

the forgiveness that occurs between friends might be different from what might occur between siblings, family members or between a stranger and another stranger.

Does man's forgiveness toward fellow man require repentance? if so, then it's impossible if the perpetrator's dead/no longer in contact with us/doesn't acknowledge their wrong/continues to harm or hurt us.

Should forgiveness be synonymous with reconciliation ?

can forgiveness go hand in hand with justice?

Does God's forgiveness toward us have some aspects that are different from our forgiveness toward fellow man?
I think so! God's forgiveness offers us eternal salvation, whereas our forgiveness can't do that!
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May I add at this juncture that not telling anybody what the perpetrator's done to you cannot necessarily be a sign of forgiveness. Hiding/denying the truth about what happened is nothing short of untruthful! Imagine if we advised a rape victim not to report the crime. or all the holocaust survivors not to educate the world about what happened.

I don't want to repeat all the other arguments from billions of other sources so here're my own thoughts on it. Forgiveness.. in light of the gospel is:

• wanting God's will for the perpetrator[s]. Which can only happen when we look to God.
• an expression and overflow of our worship to God
• not a task or an event, but an ongoing posture of wanting God's will for that person.
• not to be confused with reconciliation, which can only occur if the other person has sought forgiveness and willingness to reconcile 

I don't have to say :God's best. because God is good, what He wants can never be anything but.

Some of my other thoughts:

-God is just and knows everything, therefore people who sin against us are ultimately accountable to Him anyway. So, our forgiveness of them does not let them off the hook [God's].

- no effort must be made to punish them [personally] knowing full well that God will [in the most just manner]  Romans 12:19 However this doesn't preclude reporting crimes to the authorities-this is more to fight the sin committed, to prevent it from happening to others. Also removing oneself from a emotionally/physically dangerous situation in self defence is not an effort to punish them personally, to protect oneself! Same goes with not continuing business with a corrupt business partner if they embezzled money, etc. To prevent further atta

- trusting in God, [His justice and goodness]  knowing full well His sovereignty and deep, everlasting  love for us frees us to want His will for them, knowing that they can't take anything from us [since God is our portion and more than enough]

- God doesn't hate anyone, He hates sin. So, we can hate the sin [the sin they committed against us] but not hate them.

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About whether forgiveness requires repentance to occur - there're several views on it.

Some people think that it doesn't require repentance. if so, then the forgiveness required of us is not the same as God's forgiveness in that respect because God's forgiveness requires our repentance. So if we have to forgive even where there's not been repentance, then we're asked to do more than what God does in forgiving.

In the parable of the debtor [Matthew 18:21-35 ] the debtor's debtee did fall at his feet and beg for mercy.  

 Luke 17:3 says If your brother or sister[a] sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.
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does this mean that God only requires us to forgive where there's been repentance?

I don't claim to know the answer to that, but all I know is that we can want God's will for 
them even if they don't acknowledge their sin or ask forgiveness. so defined that way, we can forgive. 

Deloraine, Tasmania

 Like the Asian tourists we are, photos of our trip away comprise mainly of food.

Deloraine is a charming little town at the heart of Tasmania, [which is incidentally, shped like a heart] We stayed at the loveliest B&B ever - and i don't say this often about places we stay at! It really was the BEST hotel I've ever stayed in. My photos of the place don't do it justice so i won't even try to post them here but on their site are some very good photos.

 No 5-star hotel chain can ever match up to the warm hospitality provided by Helen and Ron. [take it from me as I've worked for an international 5 star hotel chain] The rooms were absolutely beautiful and comfortable, the bathrooms like a dream [worthy of any home design magazine!], and we enjoyed a movie in the media area where blackout blinds, a projector and surround sound speakers created a cineplex like experience.

The amount of attention to detail is what makes everything here so special. It seems that they'd thought of everything! I enjoyed the drinks station outside the rooms with the best quality teas and coffee machine and biccies to satisfy one's mid afternoon or midnight cravings. The pillows were those huge fluffy ones and the elegant origami flowers and chocolates in the rooms provided a nice touch. The lounge area on the groundfloor is so cozy and inviting, especially with the woodheater on. [it was  2-5C on the days we were there]

They had the heating on in our rooms before we arrived, so that we could arrive to a warm cozy room. Just the little details like that, that show the pride they take in their work.

Here's the breakfast buffet spread we had at the www.bluestonegrainstore.com.au

 Ron makes a very very good coffee. That's half a mushroom omelette the hubby had.

and the eggs benedict with smoked salmon was just heavenly. Perfectly cooked, tender eggs with runny yolks with that velvety hollandaise sauce, and perfectly crisp but tender toast. The breakfasts alone could be worth coming to stay here for!

The Bluestone Grainstore
14 Parsonage Street
Deloraine, Tasmania 7304

Phone :
(03) 6362 4722

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the only thing lacking in Deloraine would be a variety of eateries. Other than pub meals, the only things you get here at night would be the greasy takeaways [burgers, chips, deep fried fish or "chico rolls"]. In the daytime there are the usual cafes with the usual sandwiches, pies and muffins. I guess it's because the population there isn't very diverse. 

Also we were told that the kitchens close at 8pm, so apparently everyone has dinner at 5.30pm! is that typical for small towns?

So the first night we had dinner at the Deloraine Hotel, where we ordered this wood fired lamb pizza $16 which was really good.

and below, the chicken parmigiana with chips and salad- $25.90

Both were delicious, but really, when it comes to pub food, I don't know if one pub is any different from another. They all seem to have the same menu everywhere we go! Perhaps all their chefs were trained with the same training manual. Like at McDonald's.  Or is it because people want the same sort of food every time they go to a pub? 

I also enjoyed the Deloraine Folk Museum where I had the opportunity to step into a Victorian era house to view actual furniture, clothing, tools and crockery from the 19th Century! Very interesting to see how different life was back then, and see the similarities [they loved their tea, and beautifully decorated teapots and teacups]

feast of the middle east

Recently we hosted a "meal for many" where we invited 12 friends to
a fundraiser meal for the persecuted church in the middle east. so we served a middle eastern feast with baba ghanoush, hummous, fattoush, kibbeh, roast lamb, m'jadara roasted eggplant and pitta.

It was really rewarding to have been able to pray together for our persecuted brethren as well as give financially to support Open Doors ministry. Christians have always been persecuted throughout the ages but we have hope because Jesus says" And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matt 28:20 

They are no fools who give what they cannot keep, to gain what they cannot lose. - Jim Elliot

Matt 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
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Perhaps you'd like to host a meal for many too? There are so many countries in the persecuted church list. You could do one for North Korea, Syria, Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan or Nigeria. For more info on how to host your own meal for many, click here! Basically you cook a meal and invite your friends to come, whether for morning tea, lunch, dinner, supper or anything really! and all funds donated will go to the persecuted church, whether anywhere it's needed, or you can specify which country you'd like to support in particular. 

Let me know if you did do one!

Christmas and new year's

This past year has definitely been a difficult one for the world. Christians martyred in the middle east, plane crashes, and flooding all over Malaysia. Life is hard. and YET, I draw strength and hope from the promise that  

"I have overcome the world." - Jesus [John 16:33]

Our lives are but a blip in light of eternity .  Thankfully, every life is precious to Him.

What if death was not a full stop in our existence, but merely a comma? 

This new year, I want to set my mind more on the Spirit. 

Rom 8:6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 

Our Christmas lunch was a lavish spread with turkey, ham, roast pork and roast chicken! Makes me want to have roast turkey all year round... 

and of course the mandatory roast potatoes and pumpkin, with salads and gravy.

. 

Because we can't get to New York, I made our own poppyseed bagels - boiled the old fashioned way. Not bad for a first try - they were all eaten within a day! 

 We had them the traditional way with smoked salmon and cream cheese.

This was a meal made completely with freezer and pantry items. Ready in 10 minutes! Chicken nuggets, broccoli and spinach from the freezer, zapped in the microwave, with instant mashed potatoes [the kind you add hot water to] Not very sophisticated, but needed sometimes with a toddler to take care of!

 For New Year's eve, we had some Malaysians over for dinner, so decided to have a yong tau foo party. with hubby being hakka and all, I let him do all the work! hehe...

Here he is stuffing the aubergines with the fish paste mixture. Historically, the Hakkas [from China] never had their own land and were often quite poor, so frugality characterizes their style of cooking. Chopped up fish meat mixed with cornflour and seasonings stuffed into vegetables and tofu helped stretch a small amount of protein to feed more people.

 We stuffed tofu, mushrooms, a capsicum and some aubergines but really, any fruit vegetable can be stuffed. I reckon it would work well with a stuffed tomato, zucchini or even a potato!

To a fruitful, graceful, peaceful, God-full  2015.

Rev 22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.