Coonabarabran SDA Church & "Food Pantry"

08/11/2024

04/11/2024

You don’t have to look hard to find reasons to fear. We live in a crazy world. I can’t think of a scarier time than the present, quite frankly. The 24/7 news cycle and social media amplify our sense of danger by bombarding us with images of the latest mass shooting, a Chinese hypersonic missile, or yet another strain of COVID. And that doesn’t even take into account our personal triggers. We all know what it’s like to wake up in the middle of the night and be gripped by panic, fear, or anxiety.

What we also need to know is that we serve a God who is eternal, sovereign, all-powerful, and loving. He is in control. That’s why Paul wrote, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7 NLT).

Mark 5 tells the story of a demon-possessed man who terrorized people in the region of the Gerasenes. He lived in the tombs and was so powerful that no chains could hold him. Day and night, he cried out and cut himself with stones. He was the stuff of nightmares. Yet when Jesus approached him, it was the demons inside the man who were terrified—because they realized they were powerless against the Lord.

You probably know that when the angel announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds in the field, his first words were “Don’t be afraid!” or “Fear not!” depending on your translation (Luke 2:10). But did you know that “Don’t be afraid”—or words to that effect—appears more than 350 times in the Bible? That’s almost one “Don’t be afraid” for every day of the year. Obviously, it’s a message God wants us to take away from His Word.

The angel’s next sentence explains why: “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people” (Luke 2:10 NLT). Our goal is to experience God’s joy to the fullest. But fear robs us of that joy. It prevents us from experiencing life as God wants us to. The condition of joy is to let go of fear.

First Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (NLT). You choose to have joy. You don’t wait for it to come if and when your fears go away. It doesn’t matter whether you feel it. Paul was in prison when he wrote, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 nlt). He was able to say, “I’m choosing to rejoice in the Lord, regardless of my very scary circumstances.” You can make the same choice.

Are you struggling with fear or anxiety? Remember God’s words from Isaiah 43:2: “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” (NLT).

Let go of your fear. Give it to God. Walk boldly and courageously in the path He’s laid out for you.

03/11/2024

PRAYER GROUP
- 6:00 pm (Wednesday)
SERVING OUR COMMUNITY
-Every Thursday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Food Pantry
WORSHIP
Saturday 9 November
- 9:30 am Adult Sabbath School (Bible Study)
- 9:30 am Children's Sabbath School
- 11:00 am Church Worship Service
- 12.00 pm Lunch in the hall (All are welcome)

29/10/2024

join us at the food pantry tomorrow. Come and say 'hello' and get some great bargains and community fellowship.

28/10/2024

This 10-ingredient Lentil Bolognese is what comfort food dreams are made of. The meaty, umami, and flavor-rich sauce simmers together wholesome, pantry-staple ingredients in one pot in less than 1 hour. An easy, yet gourmet Italian-inspired sauce for pasta night!
Prep Time:
10minutes mins
Cook Time:
45minutes mins
Total Time:
55minutes mins
Course:
Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine:
Italian
Diet
Vegan
Serving size:
6
Ingredients
▢1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
▢1 large onion, diced
▢4 garlic cloves, minced
▢1 teaspoon dried oregano
▢1 teaspoon dried thyme (or use more oregano)
▢1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
▢Freshly ground black pepper to taste
▢1 (5.3-ounce) (150g) tube of tomato paste (see note 1)
▢1/2 cup (120 mL) dry red wine (optional, see note 2)
▢3 cups (720 mL) vegetable broth
▢1 cup (185g) red lentils, soaked (see step #1)
▢¼ cup (32g) walnuts (or pecans), crushed finely
▢1 (14.5-ounce/410g) can of crushed tomatoes or whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand (see note 3)
▢12-16 ounces (340-454g) long, wide pasta (such as tagliatelle, pappardelle, or fettuccine; or tube pasta such as rigatoni or penne rigate; or gnocchi)(see note 4)
▢1 tablespoon high-quality balsamic vinegar (see note 5)
▢Flat-leaf Italian parsley or fresh basil, chopped or slivered (optional)
Instructions
Soak the 1 cup of lentils in water for 30 minutes, or up to 60 minutes. Meanwhile, prep all the other ingredients (i.e., chop the onions and garlic, chop the walnuts, etc.)
Heat a 12-inch deep sauté pan or Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, and once it’s shimmering, add the onions and season with a pinch of salt. Stir occasionally and cook the onions until a light brown fond starts form on the surface of the pan, about 5 minutes. Add a few spoons of water to deglaze the pan, and stir. Continue cooking the onions, adding more water every few minutes and stirring frequently to prevent burning, until the onions are softened and golden brown, 9-10 minutes.
Add the garlic, thyme, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and pepper to taste. Stir frequently and cook for 60-90 seconds.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes to caramelize, stirring very frequently, until it’s darker red in color.
Optional: If using the red wine, pour the wine into the pan and deglaze, scraping up any browned bits. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the smell of alcohol has burned off and the mixture is jammy.
Pour in the broth to deglaze the pan, stirring any browned bits on the bottom of the pot and stirring the broth into the tomato paste to combine. Add the lentils and walnuts, and stir to incorporate. Heat until the mixture comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a rapid simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for another 15-20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still al dente, stirring occasionally to prevent burning and sticking.
If using crushed tomatoes, you may need to add a little water or lower the heat as needed to prevent burning.
I prefer to cook for 20 minutes for a more developed flavor.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add the pasta and cook until just al dente. Reserve a ladle or so of pasta water (may not need it). Drain the pasta but do not rinse it.
Taste the bolognese for seasonings, adding more salt and pepper to taste. Finish with the balsamic vinegar (or sugar, see note 5), and stir to combine.
Add the hot cooked pasta to the bolognese and toss until well coated in the sauce, adding a bit of pasta water as needed to ensure the sauce coats the noodles. Garnish with chopped parsley or basil, if using.
Note: If you're not serving all of the bolognese at this time, transfer the amount of bolognese sauce you'd like to eat to the pasta pot. Add the hot cooked pasta, turn the heat to medium, and toss to coat. Store the leftover bolognese sauce separately in the fridge.

27/10/2024

There was a time when we were bombarded by a one-sided view of God as an angry deity, ready to throw people into the open fires of Hell. People complained about too much hellfire-and-brimstone preaching.

But when was the last time anyone has heard a hellfire-and-brimstone message? Sadly, the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” that Jonathan Edwards preached in 1741 would not be allowed in many churches today.

Many people have gone too far in the other direction, teaching that God is an all-loving, benign, supreme being that doesn’t seem to have any opinions about the way we live. The assumption is that as long as we’re true to ourselves, then it’s okay with Him. He accepts us the way we are.

We like the qualities of God, such as love, forgiveness, and compassion, and the incredible fringe benefit of eternal life in Heaven. On the other hand, we’re appalled by a God of holiness who desperately loves us yet requires repentance as well as trust, a God who promises to judge those who refuse to come to Him on His terms.

Others look at God as some kind of pagan deity who simply needs to be appeased. They think that if they go through religious rituals, they’ve done their part, and they can build up credit for sinning that week. People can follow that god as much as they want. But that is not the God of the Bible.

When we start picking and choosing the things about God that appeal or do not appeal to us, we are not only diminishing our view of who God is but also believing and teaching a false gospel.

Some preachers today offer weak, watered-down proclamations in the name of the gospel. They tell you to believe, but they don’t tell you to repent. They tell you there’s a Heaven, but they don’t tell you there’s a Hell. And they tell you there’s forgiveness, but they don’t tell you there’s repentance.

If we don’t include those things, then it isn’t the gospel. We cannot edit the gospel according to what we like or don’t like. It’s for us to share it as God gave it. Otherwise, we strip the gospel of its power and effectiveness.

We cannot control what happens in the world. But at the same time, we cannot allow the belief system of a secular society to influence the way we believe. The idea is not to conform ourselves to the world’s way of thinking. It is not to bend the Bible to the culture.

When we desperately want to please everyone and not offend anyone, we will fail to make an impact on our culture.

When we start tampering with the essentials of our faith, such as the Bible, the gospel, and the nature of God Himself, we are making God into a different image.

The God of the Bible does love us and accept us as we are. But the God of the Bible also wants to change us. He wants to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ.

09/10/2024

Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
This Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette is a worthy centerpiece for your table. It features the best flavours thanks to roasted pumpkin wedges, sliced fennel, peppery arugula, and a nutty and sweet pumpkin seed crunch. Dressed in a gourmet balsamic vinaigrette, every bite is beautifully balanced!
Ingredients
▢1 small to medium sugar pie pumpkin or other winter squash (no bigger than 3 pounds) (see Note 1)
▢2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
▢Extra virgin olive oil
▢½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
▢Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
▢1 (15-ounce/425g) can of chickpeas (optional, for protein)
▢Sweet Pumpkin Crunch (see 2nd recipe card)
▢Blender Balsamic Vinaigrette (see 3rd recipe card; see Note 2 for quicker alternative)
▢1 medium fennel bulb or chinese cabbage, very thinly sliced
▢1 cup (16g) parsley leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
▢1 small handful fresh mint leaves, torn (optional; can use fennel fronds instead)
▢5 to 7 ounces (150 to 200g) arugula or watercress (see Note 3 for alternatives)
▢2 ounces (56g) vegan feta, crumbled (optional for a creamy, salty flavor)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425ºF/220ºC and arrange a rack in the bottom of the oven and in the top third.
Rinse and dry the pumpkin. Microwave the whole pumpkin for 60 to 90 seconds to make it easier to slice. Slice off the top stem, then slice off any bottom nub from the pumpkin so you have a flat surface.
Using your sharpest large knife, carefully slice the pumpkin in half lengthwise (use a back-and-forth motion, like a saw). Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and sticky pulp. You can save the seeds to roast later.
Using a Y-shaped peeler, peel the pumpkin halves. If you don’t have a wide Y-shaped peeler, use a sharp knife to peel the pumpkin.
Or, roast the pumpkin with the skin on and remove it after roasting.
Cut each half into wedges, ½” thick (1.25 cm).
In a large bowl, toss the pumpkin wedges with the maple syrup and olive oil (I use 2 TBSP oil for 2 lbs/900g of peeled & sliced pumpkin).
Season with the cinnamon, several cracks of black pepper, and kosher salt (I used 1 ½ tsp for 2 lbs/900g of peeled & sliced pumpkin).
Divide pumpkin evenly across the sheet pans. Keep the bowl for the next step.
If adding the chickpeas, drain and rinse them. Transfer them to a dish towel and gently rub to remove water, drying well.
Add them to the large bowl and drizzle with a generous 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and pepper to taste. Scatter chickpeas across empty spaces on the sheet pans.
Roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Flip the pumpkin and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, until the pumpkin is browned in spots and fork-tender.
Meanwhile, make the Sweet Pumpkin Crunch (see recipe card #2 below).
Then make the Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette (see recipe card #3 below).
Finally, slice the fennel, and chop the parsley/mint/fennel fronds.
Assemble the salad.
Add the salad greens and chopped parsley/mint/fennel fronds to a large bowl. Season with a generous pinch of salt and several cracks of pepper. Add enough Balsamic Vinaigrette to lightly coat the greens, about 1 tablespoon per ounce of greens used (5 to 7 tablespoons).
Add the roasted pumpkin (and chickpeas), several handfuls of Sweet Pumpkin Crunch, and sliced fennel. Toss with tongs to combine. Crumble the vegan feta on top, if using.
Spoon a bit more Balsamic Vinaigrette on top, as needed.

NOTES: If you don't have fennel use chines cabbage.