A synopsis of Illusions - Rexdale Alliance Church

DECEMBER 2014
• Building relationships
• Strengthening community at RAC
EMAIL: racreporter@rexdalealliance.ca
Favourite Recipes - From the editorial staff
contents
The Editorial team of the RACreporter wish you all a blessed and heartfelt Christmas.
Turn to page two for some special recipes the staff at RACreporter enjoy making!
A synopsis of Illusions
Submitted by Pastor Sunder Krishnan
The Bible portrays the devil as the father of lies. It is not surprising
therefore that his fundamental strategy in his unrelenting
warfare with God’s people, is deception.
His opening gambit in
the Bible was to deceive Listening to the whole series,
or selected messages a
our first human ancestors
by suggesting that God second time may be extremely
didn’t mean what he said.
profitable. One good way of
The Bible also describes
keeping the insights ready
him as crafty, implying
that he never runs out
at hand is to memorize
of devious ways and
the one-liners.
ideas to accomplish this
central goal of deceiving
us. The recently concluded series “illusions insights ready
of our culture” attempted to unmask the one-liners.
some of his most common contemporary convenience.
seductions. Thank you
for your enthusiastic
appreciation for, and
feedback
regarding,
these eight messages.
Listening to the whole
series,
or
selected
messages, a second
time may be extremely
profitable. One good
way of keeping the
at hand is to memorize
Here they are for your
1) Illusion of Innocence
We are not innocent until proven guilty; we are guilty until declared
righteous by a holy God.
2) Illusion of Affluence
“Relationships, not riches, make for life with a capital L.”
3) Illusion of Freedom
Freedom is the joyful acceptance of divine limits.
4) Illusion of Insignificance
“Everything we do for the glory of God in Jesus name through the Holy
Spirit is eternally significant.”
5) Illusion of Independence
“Interdependence: Connecting with others in life-transforming
relationships that will bear fruit for eternity.”
6) Illusion of Neutrality
You are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!
So, because you are lukewarm – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
7) Illusion of Happiness
“In Christ and in Christ alone is found deep and abiding joy, a treasure
that can never be taken away.”
8) Illusions of Immortality
“Death is certain, life is uncertain, so prioritize your time to learn to live
wisely, starting now.”
• B u i l d i n g r el a t i o n s h i p s
•A synopsis of illusions -pastor sunder
•WHAT’S NEW?
•jesus is the light -Linda Samulewicz
•favourite recipes -editorial staff
Updates from the editorial staff
In our last issue and from pastoral staff
at the services you have been hearing a lot
about the new Welcome Centre. Over the
past few months you’ve seen the space be
transformed from our library into a warm
and inviting place for both newcomers
and “not so new” congregants to meet with
pastoral staff, elders, deacons and other
members of our Community. Last week,
you may have noticed that a new entrance
has been opened up immediately beside
the main sanctuary doors. Stay tuned as
this exciting new venue for building our
RAC Community grows and flourishes.
Feel free to drop in to say hello!
Better yet - if you see someone who is
new to Rexdale or you don’t recognize
someone – introduce yourself and invite
them to enjoy a complimentary coffee
and other refreshments after service!
LIBRARY
The library staff is busy reviewing the
library catalogue anticipating a reopening
in early spring. Stay tuned for further
updates in upcoming issues!
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
There were some new Board (Elders,
Finance and Deacons) members elected
at the AGM in November. Check out the
Board by the main stairway which has their
names and pictures.
As well, plans are under consideration to
re-configure some of the church’s physical
space to maximize utility; create visually
appealing areas and to provide Rexdale’s
congregation with the facilities that it
needs for its programs and ministries.
As for the RACreporter, we are always
looking for contributions - testimonies,
stories, poems etc. - your inquiries
or submissions can be directed to
racreporter@rexdalealliance.ca.
There are lots of wonderful things
happening at Rexdale - God’s blessing is
here in abundance.
The Editorial Team of the RACreporter
wish you - the congregants and guests of
Rexdale Alliance Church - a very Merry
Christmas during which time we can
celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour
with our loved ones and a Happy 2015!
Jesus is the Light when one sinks
into a dark hole
Submitted by Linda Samulewicz
I have had many friends who had loved ones who suffered the
painful journey through Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s can
lead to the loss of the support of friends, family and spouse.
Imagine a scene where the you can see
This journey is now beginning for my
your loved one sitting on the edge of a sister, who has Down Syndrome. For now,
well. The well is a big dark
it’s just her short term memory
hole. From time to time, From time to time, you and some confusion, but we
you watch as your loved
watch as your loved don’t know the future.
one teeters back and forth
I take comfort in imagining
one teeters back and another picture of a well. In
- sometimes falling into the
forth - sometimes
hole and disappearing.
this scene, I see Jesus standing
Later on, you see your
falling into the hole by the well and offering
loved one climbing out but
to those who are thirsty
and disappearing.
goes back to sitting on the
everlasting “living water” to
ledge. Memories come and
quench the thirst in their
go. As the disease progresses into the latter soul. My sister, as a child gave her heart to
stages, your loved one tumbles backwards Jesus and accepted His gift of everlasting
into the dark hole disappearing for longer life. Her soul has been quenched. Jesus is
and longer times. We try to reach out to standing at both of these wells in her life.
grab them but it is hard to find them in the What a comfort to know that we will not
darkness - which is all consuming.
go through this journey alone.
• S t r e ngthening community at RAC
• Email us at: racreporter@rexdalealliance.ca
Favourite Recipes - From the editorial staff
Banana chocolate chip cake - Parul Oh
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
4 ripe bananas
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp baking soda
3 cups flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
Topping
-6 oz chocolate chips
-1/3 cup brown sugar
-1 tsp cinnamon
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Through the generous sponsorship of local businesses
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If you are interested in sponsoring RACreporter, email us at
racreporter@rexdalealliance.ca.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 × 13 pan. In a large bowl, melt butter, add sugar, eggs and
bananas. Mix well. In a separate bowl, add baking soda to sour cream set aside and allow to expand
(twice its volume). In a 3rd bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture (in
fourths) alternating with the sour cream mixture (in thirds) to the banana mixture beginning and
ending with the flour mixture. Stir in the vanilla, spread half the batter unto the greased pan. Sprinkle
1/2 the topping mixture over the batter. Pour in the other half of the batter. Top with remaining topping
mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.
Oliebollen - Cees Bijl
In most Dutch households, during the last days of the year, and especially on
New Year’s Eve and Day, a much-anticipated indulgence is the oliebol (plural
oliebollen). They are similar to a dumpling and are made by dropping
a large spoon-full of dough into a deep fryer filled with hot oil. Within
seconds, a sphere-shaped oliebol emerges.
Many mothers, and sometimes the older daughters or fathers, spend
the last afternoon of the year preparing the oliebollen. They are made with
flour, eggs, yeast, salt, milk, baking powder, currants, and raisins.
In the olden days, you would go to relatives and neighbour’s houses to wish them a “Happy New Year”
– Gelukkig Nieuwjaar. You would never leave without indulging in an oliebol or two and some coffee.
After the best wishes, discussions would sometimes centre on the good quality of the oliebol you had
just eaten and you would certainly critique it against the one you had just had at a previous aunt’s house.
Typically, the conversation would revolve around the use of raisins and how that aunt used them far too
sparingly. Comments such as, “You had to take a bike to go from one raisin to the other”, were fairly
typical at that time. In the polite Dutch way, the oliebol you were currently eating was always the best.
Even after living outside of Holland for nearly 50 years, my dear wife still makes oliebollen. I know
that just today we bought the flour we needed and I am certain that she will make some oliebollen for
myself, the kids and grandkids. However, some of them only like them without the raisins, so there will
be no discussion about having to bike from one raisin to another.
1 (0.6 ounce) cake compressed fresh yeast
1 cup lukewarm milk
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (we buy it at the Dutch store)
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup dried currants
3/4 cup raisins
1 quart vegetable oil for deep-frying
1 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting
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Having a party?
Golden Crisp Fish & Chips is available
for private family parties (up to 50 people) after 7pm.
Break up the compressed yeast, and stir into the warm milk. Let stand for a few minutes to dissolve. Sift the
flour and salt into a large bowl. Stir the yeast mixture and egg into the flour and mix into a smooth batter. Stir in
the currants and raisins. Cover the bowl, and leave the batter in a warm place to rise until double in size. This will
take about 1 hour.
Heat the oil in a deep-fryer, or heavy deep pan to 375 degrees F. Use 2 metal spoons to shape scoops of dough
into balls, and drop them carefully into the hot oil.
Fry the balls until golden brown, about 8 minutes. The doughnuts should be soft and not greasy. If the oil is
not hot enough, the outside will be tough and the insides greasy. Drain finished doughnuts on paper towels and
dust with confectioners’ sugar.
1, 2, 3 Spareribs - Lester Lee
This fast and delicious recipe can be served with steamed rice and stir fried vegetables.
1 - 2 lb spareribs, each cut in thirds for smaller pieces
1 tablespoon cooking wine (sherry or rice wine also works well)
2 tablespoons sugar (white, brown, even pancake syrup will do)
3 tablespoons vinegar (white or malt)
4 tablespoons soy sauce (regular or low salt)
5 tablespoons water
Brown spare ribs in large skillet with oil.
Once seared and browned, add the rest of the ingredients.
Mix well and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for about 20-25 minutes. Take the
lid off for the last 5 minutes, reduce to low heat to reduce the sauce and it’s ready to serve! To add some “kick”,
throw in some ground chilies and/or ground ginger and/or diced garlic.
Crostoli - Anna Silcock
One day each year I get together with my sister, her daughters and my girls to make these flaky pastries of
goodness. We have made these without fail for past 50 years and will continue as long
as the bodies have the energy to do so. Our recipe includes orange juice and rind,
lemon rind, vanilla, a bottle of wine, 6 shots of rum, 18 egg yolks and about 14
cups of flour. We all take home buckets of finished pastry to share with our
friends and families.
Want this recipe? We were short on space, but you can email us at racreporter@
rexdalealliance.ca and we will give it to you!
50%
of your pre-taxed meal total will be donated to
Neighbourhood Connections ministries. Tell us you attend RAC.
10%
of all business generated by this sponsorship will be donated to
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