General

Accused

Ben looked nervously at his conversation partner sitting opposite. The conversation had taken a not unusual turn and he knew what was coming. Ben steeled himself.

‘So, why aren’t you married?’

This wasn’t the first time that Ben had received this question or a version thereof. He quickly calculated in his mind which of the possible approaches to use this time in his defence. The man sitting opposite him was a relatively young family man from church, so Ben thought he would go with the direct spiritual angle.

‘Well, God hasn’t led me to the right person yet.’

He threw the yet in there to offer a glimmer of hope and emphasis that he was working on it. This didn’t have the desired result though of offsetting further interrogation.

‘Don’t blame God! You need to be out there doing something about it!’

Ben wasn’t sure exactly what he should be out there doing. ‘I’ve asked a few girls, bjt they weren’t that interested.’

‘Yes, but how did you ask them?’

Ben refrained from answering, assuming that the reply ‘with words’ would come across facetious.

‘A girl that’s worth having, doesn’t give herself easily,’ continued the romance lesson.

Ben was aware of that!

‘You’ve got to insist! They’re playing hard to get!’

Some of them were certainly good players, although his recent experience when he approached a girl after church and asked ‘How are you?’ to which she looked the other way and went to talk to some one else, seemed like more than a game. In any case, Ben wasn’t good at insisting. He was English!

‘I have prayed about it and am waiting for God’s plan,’ was all he could think to say, hoping this wouldn’t been seen as clutching at straws.

‘Well, it’s about time you took action. God won’t send her to your front door. You need to go out and get her. It’s like any gift, you need to accept it!’

The straws had evaded Ben’s grasp. Maybe Ben’s adversary was right. Maybe he should be doing more. Maybe he should be more active. He began to contemplate how the search features of facebook worked.

‘I’m waiting for a wedding invite this autumn!’

All of us encounter at times Bildad, Zophar or Eliphaz. These were the friends of Job, a man mentioned in the Bible has being one of the greatest men to live. However, God allows a time of testing to come on him. Satan is able to take away all that he has and furthermore, even inflict him with boils on his skin.

Job is then visited by the aforementioned friends. We might expect that they would offer words of encouragement but actually their interpretation of the situation is that Job has done something wrong and thus everything that has happened to him is a punishment from God. Eliphaz says for example ‘’ Job 22:4,5.

It is also common today that people interpret bad things as being a punishment from God. Thus the cause of suffering is that we haven’t been doing what we should and the solution is to correct our ways. Hence someone who isn’t married hasn’t been trying hard enough, but if they correct this, all will be well. Job however puts a different perspective on things.

He argues that actually he hasn’t done anything wrong that deserves what he is going through (Job 9:21) and that no one can present themselves innocent in comparison to God (Job 9:2) thus suffering can’t be a direct punishment for wrong doing because in that case everyone would be suffering. Indeed, the reader knows the reason why Job is suffering because the heavenly discussions between the Lord and Satan are presented in the first two chapters, where we learn that Job’s suffering is actually a test permitted by the Lord to prove his faith genuine.

In this day and age many people promote the idea that our deeds equate to either the quality of our life in the here and now, and/or our final destination. If we do good now, we will be blessed and if the good outweighs the bad, we will have the hope of heaven. However, this sort of thinking gives rise to wrong theology such as the prosperity gospel.

In this false gospel, we are told that God has earthly blessings for those who have faith in him. He who prays the right way has a nice wife coming his direction, as it were. This is far from the case though.

Job debates for a good number of chapters with his friends, before we eventually arrive towards the end of the book. God reveals himself and clarifies things. In chapter 42 verse 7, we discover that Job’s friends are indeed wrong in what they have been saying. There is no prosperity gospel or right and wrong karma in operation in the universe. Rather we see in the preceding verses the way things are; God is in charge (I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 42:2) and everything that happened was to enable Job to truly come to know God (My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.’ 42:5,6).

Ben lay prostrate in bed. His head hurt, but even more so his heart. He had been rejected once again. Thoughts raced through his mind about what might have been. Maybe he should have asked a different way? Maybe he should ask again? Maybe he should have asked someone else?

As he was tormented by these thoughts, he just about mustered the energy to roll his head to one side and spy his Bible that he usually left beside him when he slept. Knowing that it was the only hope, he raised himself to sit upright and then reached out. Taking the Bible he opened it to Psalm 43. So far there wasn’t to be any invite, but what did it matter? God was his delight. Anyway, things weren’t done and dusted yet.

Who Am I?

‚Who am I?’ is a common question that most of us ask ourselves sooner or later in life. Indeed, if we don’t think about this issue, at least subconsciously, if not more openly, we will just float through life, tossed about from right to left by each and every wave that comes our way.

Gradual Formation

Over the years, we have all actually formed some ideas about this question due to our experiences as we have grown up. The circumstances around us influence our thinking whether we like it or do. As a simple example, someone who has grown up in England will probably develop the idea that he or she is English, unless of course they have parents or extended family from elsewhere that might give rise to other ideas. In Moldova, many people’s families moved there during former days from Russia or the Ukraine and so have kept the language and traditions from whence they came, thus children born into these families can often feel more Russian or Ukrainian than Moldovan.

Obviously, there are many areas of life where we need to make a decision about who we are, not just our nationality, but also with regard to our careers, characteristics, religion and lifestyle to name a few important ones. Some of these things are given us, for example our personalities are something that we can not control or the country where we are born. Others of these we can work on and influence one way or another.

Jekyll or Hyde?

There is a well-known story about a man who actually had two identities.

In a small town, a mysterious stranger appears, Mr. Hyde. He is not the most pleasantly behaved individual ever, and so a certain negative feeling grows in the townspeople with regard to him. There also appears to be some connection between him and the town’s respected physician, Dr. Jekyll; Mr. Hyde is seen around Dr. Jekyll’s home and they both seem to have similar handwriting.

One day there is a murder in the town. Evidently, suspicion turns towards Mr. Hyde. The investigation progresses and the conclusion of the matter is that Dr. Jekyll is found dead with a letter of confession. He admits, not to harbouring Mr. Hyde, but to being him!

He explains that he had discovered a potion that when taken frees him from his restraints thus allowing him to indulge his passions, in other words becoming Mr. Hyde. Initially, things were under control, but gradually he started turning spontaneously into Mr. Hyde. Hence, he was living as two people in one, something that proved complicated and ultimately fatal.

This fictional story nevertheless serves as a warning to us. There are indeed psychological conditions where people medically don’t know who they are. Even if we are not afflicted in this way, we can still suffer from confusion with regard to our identity.

Bad Influences

Our perception of who we are can be greatly influenced by different factors. For example, if I want to be accepted by a group of people who use bad language, I will probably start using the same language. Alternatively, if when growing up, my parents instilled in me the thought that it is important to study science, then probably I will have gone in that direction in my life.

The point is though that it is necessary for our perception of reality to correspond to reality. I may believe that I am a great football player, but if I make it my life’s goal to play for Real Madrid and invest all my time and energy in achieving that aim, I might be disappointed when I go to Madrid for a trial and find that they are less than keen to include me in their first team.

In other words, what we believe about ourselves will direct our lives thus it is essential for us to think carefully about our beliefs.

Will the Real Ben Step Forward

As a result, we can say that two things are important.

Firstly, to seek things are true, both about ourselves and also the world around. Some people claim that truth is relative, so instead of seeking it, we can just develop our own. There would be much to discuss on this point, but a simple observation would be that there are some absolute truths. For example, I know that it is not a good idea to jump out of my flat window because I can be sure of what will happen (barring miracles of course!).

For Christians, our reference point for truth is the God of the Bible. He created all things and so only from Him can we find out the truth about everything around us. We can glean some information by analysing His creation (after all this is what science is) but the ultimate picture we can only understand in the light of His revelation of it. To this end, we have the Bible which contains all the things that God wants us to know about ourselves and the world around us.

Thus it is important for us to be getting to know the Bible, otherwise we will be groping around in life in the dark.

Secondly, it is necessary for us to put into practice what we know from the Bible. There are many people who claim to be Christians, but who never do what the Bible says, which is like me claiming to be a great footballer, but never playing football!

As mentioned already, finding out who we are is a gradual process. Indeed, we could say that maturing is exactly that; over the years discovering out more about ourselves. This is why it is important in life to get involved and try out different things. Only by trial and error can we find ourselves. However, if we want to find our true selves, it is necessary to look from God’s perspective through the prism of the Bible. Otherwise, we will be drawn to the darker elements of our sinful nature and the sinful culture around us, missing out on the real person that God created us to be, and potentially sharing in Dr. Jeykll’s fate.

Creation

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Temptation

Aurelius breathed in deeply and girded himself for one last push. He had been on the way to the local

Leadership

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Why me?

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Socrates Club

Moldova For some, the name Socrates Club will conjure up images of a fan club devoted to a certain Brazilian

Introduction

Romania Reminiscences Ben was on a journey that he would never forget. He'd heard about the country of Romania for

The Journey

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Accused

Ben looked nervously at his conversation partner sitting opposite. The conversation had taken a not unusual turn and he knew

Who Am I?

‚Who am I?’ is a common question that most of us ask ourselves sooner or later in life. Indeed, if

Meaning

’To be or not to be?’ is a question that many have asked over the years. It is indeed a

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Testimony

When I grew up, I always believed in God and went to church with my family. But God wasn’t the most important aspect of my life. I had my own interests. For example, I liked football and Sunday’s at church, I was often thinking about what football match was on the television later.

When I was 17 years old, I realised that most people around me didn’t bother thinking about God, reading the Bible or going to church, but nevertheless seemed happy. So, I thought I would try to give these up as well. After a while though I realised that I couldn’t live this way. I felt empty and surrounded by darkness if I didn’t think about God. Thus, I soon returned to my religious way of life but it still seemed like something was missing.

Not long after this I went to university. I studied chemistry and had big plans to become a professor and maybe even discover something new! I knew that there was a Christian student group at my university, but I was unsure if I wanted to go.

At the beginning of the academic year, there was a Fresher’s fair. This is an event where different student groups and organisation have a table and present their activities. Students who want can sign up. I made an understanding with God that I would go and pass through the fair once. If I saw the Christian union table I would stop and talk to them. If not, I would understand that it wasn’t God’s will for me to get involved with them.

I went to the fair and quickly passed through the long hall that it was situated in. I didn’t see any Christians, so I hastily exited via a side door and hurried away, glad that I had fulfilled my side of the bargain and was now free to continue with what I wanted to do.

However, this wasn’t the end of the story. As I began my studies, I realised that I didn’t really like what I was studying (it was Chemistry after all!). Not only that, I am a closed person and don’t make friends easily. As a result, I began to feel down. This caused me to start putting deeper questions about life. What is the point? Where am I headed? What is there after death?

Especially, the question about my final destination bothered me. I saw that after death, we just become nothing. But if we become nothing, then what we do in this life doesn’t really matter, as we all end up not existing and one day forgotten, no matter what we do or achieve in this life. This thought was hard to swallow and caused me much soul searching.

One day though, the thought occurred to me Why don’t you pray to the God that you have heard so much about at church and in the Bible? If He really exists, then maybe He will answer, if not, then you haven’t lost anything!

So, this is what I did! After praying to God and asking Him, if He’s there, to help me and reveal Himself to me, He Did!

There were a number of things through which He spoke to me. The main one was that Bible verses started to come alive, as if they had been written especially for me. For example, Matthew 6:33 –

‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’

From here it was as if God was saying to me that up until that point, I had really been seeking my way; although I acknowledged God, He wasn’t the centre in my life. I realised that this needed to change, and I realised how!

At the beginning of the next academic year, I prepared myself to head for the Fresher’s Fair again, this time with a different frame of mine; to find the Christian Union stand at all costs!

So, the day came and after morning classes at the university, I summoned up the courage and started making may in the direction of the said Fresher’s Fair. On the way I bumped into one of the students I knew who studied together with me. He asked me where I was going. I said to the Fresher’s Fair to which he replied that he also wanted to go there. This produced a dilemma.

Initially, I strolled along with him towards our common destination. I made no mention of my intention to look for the Christian group. Maybe he would change his mind, or something come up on the way to separate us. Alas, to no avail. Thus, as we approached the Fair, I realised that I was going to have to make my first public confession of Christian interest. ‘I’m going to look for the Christian Union!’, I managed to blurt out.

He hesitated and my embarrassment began to grow, when all of a sudden, things took an unexpected turn. ‘Me too!’ was his refrain!

I was surprised, but then felt a surge of encouragement. This was meant to be!

Eventually, we found the Christian group at their table. A second surprise (There was also to be a third surprise) was that the student manning it was also a Chemistry student like myself, but in the third year. He gladly signed us up and told us about their activities.

After this I was still hesitant to attend the Christian Union meetings, particularly as I was living far away from the university and their main meeting was in the evening. However, one day someone gave me a flyer for a lunchtime Bible study. I decided to go.

When I arrived at the meeting, there was a group of students already waiting outside. I was struck by their desire to study the Bible. Over the course of a number of meetings, the way these students took the Bible seriously, really spoke to me.

Gradually, I started going to other meetings. It took some courage, but slowly, I started going to more and more. Eventually, in my final year at university, I attended a Christianity explored course. Here there were six meetings. Each one involved a short talk based on a passage from Mark’s gospel and then a discussion time in a small group.

At the final meeting, there was a difficult moment as the usual room was booked. We had to go searching through the university to find an alternative. Once settled into the tight wooden benched lecture theatre the speaker began. This lesson was a little different as it mainly centred around a presentation of the Christian Good News. Although I had heard aspects of this message before, this was the first time I had heard it so well and thoroughly presented. Suddenly, everything was clear.

As I listened to the words that were being spoken, I began to understand many things about myself and the way the world was. I also realised that God’s solution was to trust in Jesus Christ. I accepted this message and it began to guide me through my life.

I had wanted to remain at the university and study further. However, I felt like this wasn’t God’s plan for me. Thus, via the church I had started going to, I found out about an opportunity to get involved in student ministry with IFES, something which I did and eventually led me to Moldova!

During this final year at university, I got to know a little bit some of the others from the Christian Union. One day I entered into conversation with one of the guys and told me that he had been helping on the Christian Union table in my first fateful year, when I inadvertently missed them. I learned from him the reason why.

That year, there had been so many student societies and clubs, that some of them had to set up their tables outside. However, it had begun to rain and so they moved under the famous UCL archway. When I had exited the Fresher’s Fair, I was aware that something was going on outside, but also felt the rain and was already decided that I had done my bit, so headed off without exploring further. Thus, I missed the Christians!

However, God didn’t abandon me and found a way to eventually bring me back to where He wanted me to be!

Challenges

Sometimes in life we are confronted with challenging circumstances.

One time in Romania I was at a Bible class. The teacher was American and the person translating approached me during the break to inform me that he needed to go somewhere and asked me, being an English speaker, if I would translate after the break. I was reluctant, not having experience and also even in English I didn’t know well all the names of the different Kings and other characters that were being mentioned as we were going through one of the books of Kings in the Old Testament. However, I didn’t really have an alternative solution to suggest. The break finished and we all gathered for the next lesson. The translator began, but after a few minutes his telephone rang. He glanced at it, then got his things together, motioned to me to come forward and then left. Talk about being thrown in the deep end. I had no choice to go forward and begin my career as a translator!

Life often puts us in difficult situations. Difficulties are of course relevant and maybe my predicament above was small fry compared to what some face. Financial hardships, sickness, violence, injustice and much more attack people everyday. One of the great things about the Bible is that it is a very realistic book and presents openly all the difficulties and struggles that different people went through. One person who most certainly was confronted with a challenging situation was Joshua.

We first read about him in the book of Numbers. We find out here that he is very faithful to God, for example in chapter 14 he together with Caleb tries to plead with the people when they want to rebel against God and go back to Egypt instead of entering the promised land. The fact that Joshua was one of the spies who went to check out the land of Canaan also testifies to the fact that he was one of the leaders of Israel. There are also passages where we see that Joshua was the assistant of Moses and chosen to succeed him (Numbers 27:18-21).

By the time we get to Joshua 1, we see that Moses is already gone and now Joshua has to fully take on his mantle. This is in and of itself a tough task. There were well over a million people to lead, enough to keep anyone busy. More than this though, Joshua is told here to lead these people into the promised land of Canaan, which would have been fine, except for the fact that there were some very well developed and aggressive peoples already living there, who weren’t just going to happily lie down and let the Israelites come and take over.

This is why we read a number of words of encouragement in this chapter. Joshua could well have been feeling daunted by what lay before him and so God offers some words of solace. Verses 6, 7 and 9 repeat the idea of being strong and courageous. This is however not just a sort of chin up, everything will be alright encouragement like what we often offer to people today, when we don’t really know what to say. Here we see that there is some real meat to these words.

In verse 5, God says that he will be with Joshua. This is a great promise because it was God’s presence that helped Moses through his tasks and so now Joshua is encouraged that God will be there to help him too. The presence of God is an important theme running throughout the Bible. Adam and Eve lost their place with God in the garden of Eden. Cain then loses God’s presence in Genesis 4:14 as a result of murdering Abel. As the story unfolds, we see though God restoring his presence among people, first of all establishing the tent of meeting and then the temple. In the New Testament he dwells among people in the form of Jesus and finally the Holy Spirit is given so that He now actually dwells within the believer. In any case, it is a great and vital thing to have God’s presence with you.

Joshua is also given an instruction as to how to be successful in his task. We see this in Joshua 1:7 and 8. He is told to obey carefully everything written in the law of Moses and in order to help him do that, it is important for him to meditate on it day and night. In other words, the secret of success is to keep as close as possible to God’s word and to obey it.

Joshua shows his willingness to obey God straight away. He doesn’t hesitate or remonstrate with God, but rather he sends out the officers of the people to tell them to get ready for going into the promised land. They obey on the condition in verse 17 that the Lord will be with Joshua as He was with Moses, and they even threaten with death any who don’t obey Joshua’s word. Thus, we see that Joshua’s initial acceptance of God’s word to him as had a positive result.

I heard an interesting example of a student group in Serbia. They decided that they wanted to organise a mission week. In Serbia it is very popular for people to go to Cafes and spend their time there. So, the group had the idea of hiring out a cafe for their evangelistic meetings. There was a problem though to find a suitable one. Serbian culture is generally closed to evangelical Christians and over four years they tried 10 different cafes, but each time there were problems. Often, they were rejected, but also staff were unfriendly, some were too small or otherwise unsuitable.

One day the group leader was walking past a cafe on the site of the university. He decided to try it. He explained to the manager that they were a Christian group and wanted to organise evangelical meetings. To his surprise, the manager agreed without problem. So surprised was he that he reiterated the situation to make sure the manager had understood. Not only did they want to talk about Jesus, but they also didn’t have much money to pay for the meetings. The manager still agreed!

For this group, it was a challenging task to organise these missions. It took four years and a number of difficult situations, but eventually God led them to an excellent venue, right on campus, and even opened up the way to using it, in spite of potential problems.

Ultimately then, God can and does work for good even in the challenges we and others around us face!

Vegan Cheese Substitutes

Veganism is the practice of not eating any animal related products. It can be taken a step further and include not using any products, which contain material taken from animals. This is something more than standard vegetarianism, which is generally just not eating meat. Indeed, the term vegan was born in 1944 when some members of the Vegetarian Society in Great Britain decided to give up dairy products as well and formed the word ‘vegan’ by abbreviating ‘vegetarian’, in order to refer to their new approach to eating.

There are a number of reasons why people adopt veganism. One of the main ones is due to the potential health benefits of consuming a natural, low-fat diet based on plant products. There could be other reasons, such as in the case of people who react badly to certain animal-based products (for example lactose found in milk) and so need to avoid eating them. Some people want to fight against cruelty to animals, to promote a green lifestyle, or simply belong to a religious group that believes in veganism.

Whatever the reasons for veganism, one thing’s for sure and that’s that it’s on the rise! Statistics show that many countries in the world have at least a small percent of the population who are vegan. In Great Britain for example, the number of vegans has grown from 150,000 in 2006 to 542,000 in 2016.

Obviously, if someone converts to a vegan diet it will mean giving up a lot of the foods that they enjoy and are used to eating. However, these days, due to the popularity of veganism there exist many plants based alternative foods that people can include in their diets. Following on, we are going to look at just one example, that of a vegan substitute for Parmesan cheese.

Parmesan, the king of cheese toppings

Parmesan is a cheese well-known for its use in grated form as a topping for many dishes in order to add flavor. The authentic Italian version of Parmesan cheese is called, ‘Parmigiano-Reggiano‘. This is a hard cheese, which has been produced for hundreds of years in certain regions of Italy. Its hardest and crystalline texture combined with strong pleasant taste is what makes it is ideal for grating and adding to dishes as a flavoring.

Buying original Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese produced in Italy can be expensive due to a number of reasons; it can only be produced by manufacturers in certain regions of Italy; it undergoes a traditional, well-controlled manufacturing process and finally, once made has to be shipped out all over the world for sale. As a result of this, a number of cheaper alternative Parmigiano-Reggiano style cheese exist, which are cheaper and generically known as Parmesan cheese.

Unfortunately for vegans, both Parmigiano-Reggiano and these other Parmesan cheeses are all off limits as they are made using cows’ milk. However, the good news is that a number of plant-based alternative Parmesan cheeses exist.

Soybeans to the rescue.

Soybeans were cultivated in East Asia long before records even began and gradually over the centuries their cultivation has spread throughout the world. Initially, their use was more for practical purposes, such as in crop rotation due to the fact that the soybean plants helped renitrogenese soil. Also, they were used in animal feed. Gradually though, people been to discover and appreciate their many other uses as a food substance.

Soybeans are an excellent source of protein and can be used as a meat substitute due to the fact that they contain a good spread of proteins, such that by consuming them someone obtains the proteins they need without having to worry too much about eating other foods. For this reason, they are a good option for vegans who are in danger of lacking proteins in their diet as a result of not eating meat or dairy products.

By boiling soybeans and then filtering the product soy milk can be produced. Yogurt or a yogurt starter can then be added to this milk, which after being left to stand in a warm place, will start to separate into liquid and solid, mimicking the process of curdling cheese. The curd produced can be used just like any other cheese, giving rise to, amongst other things, the possibility of Parmesan cheese suitable for vegans.

Almonds, a nutty alternative

As well as beans such as soy, nuts are also a good source of protein for vegans. This is good news for vegan cheese lovers as nuts can be very easily blended into a cheese-like food that can be used in many ways.

In the case of almonds, they are simply blanched (that is to say boiled briefly in water and then cooled and the skin removed), and then blended in a blender with nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder until a fine powder is formed. This can then be stored and used to sprinkle on food as an excellent alternative to Parmesan cheese.

Cashews, a nutty alternative to the nutty alternative

The above mentioned Parmesan cheese using almonds can just as easily be made using cashew nuts. The method and ingredients are identical except that cashews replace the almonds and so the process is slightly simpler as the cashews don’t need to be blanched. It is even possible to use a mixture of blanched almonds and cashews to produce a nut combination Parmesan.

No need for vegans to miss out

As we have seen, it is quite possible for vegans to enjoy the taste of Parmesan cheese on pasta, pizzas and the like. There are a number of commercial products available that imitate well Parmesan cheese, but use plant-based ingredients such as soybean, almonds or cashews. Those of us, who for whatever reason are following a vegan diet can try out some of these commercial products to see which one is most to their liking. But, as these vegan substitute Parmesan cheese are so easy to make, it’s also worth trying to make your own at home. By experimenting you can come up with your perfect combination and never have to miss out on that Parmesan cheese goodness again!

Feel free to leave below any experiences or suggestions you have regarding alternative Parmesans.

Names of Italian Cheeses – A Linguistic Feast!

Even to those of us who aren’t fans of Italian food, the names of Italian Cheeses (at least a few of them!) are probably familiar. Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, and Parmesan are famous Italian cheeses, known by many people throughout the world. However, these three are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of Italian cheeses. Italy is the fourth largest cheese producing country in the world and there are estimates that Italy actually has over 450 varieties of cheese.

In this article, we will see very briefly the origins of cheese production in Italy followed by some examples of Italian cheeses belonging to different categories of cheese.

Where it all began

Nobody actually knows where or when cheese production began. Milk was almost certainly consumed many thousands of years ago, ever since humans started domesticating animals. In the Biblical book of Genesis, for example, Abel, one of the first humans to have ever lived, is reported to have offered some of his flock as sacrifices to God.

Basic cheese is made by curdling milk using enzymes from animals’ stomachs. Animals’ stomachs themselves were used as storage and transportation containers for animal products. So more than likely, at some point in history people realized that milk being contained in animals’ stomachs was starting to turn into cheese.

Over time cheese production developed. People began to devise methods to extract rennet (the enzyme-containing substance in animal stomachs that curdles milk) and use it to make cheese. Gradually, different types of cheese were produced using variations on the basic method. As time went by people also discovered that by allowing the cheese to mature in different ways, also resulted in different types of cheese.

In any case, there are different ideas and claims about the origin and early development of cheese, but one thing is for sure, that by the time of the Roman Empire, cheese making was a well-spread art!

Roman Cheese Spread

Obviously, due to its size and high level of civilization the Roman Empire had many lasting effects on human society. Cheese was a popular food during Roman times and as a result, its consumption spread to many places, which had been conquered by the Romans and where previously cheese making was not so well-developed.

More so than this, cheese being a popular Roman food led to the discovery throughout Italy of many techniques that could be used to produce all sorts of different cheeses. Over the centuries these cheese making processes have been refined and added to, resulting in the modern-day diversity of types of cheeses available in Italy.

It’s all in a name

Classification of cheeses is a difficult business. One method used is based on the firmness of the cheese. In this case, soft cheeses refers to those that haven’t undergone a maturing process. The most famous example of this in terms of Italian cheese is mozzarella. This cheese is literally the product of the basic cheese making process and this is reflected in its name, which means ‘little cut’, as in a little cut off the curdled milk.

A variation on mozzarella is burrata. This is another Italian soft cheese, made in exactly the same way as mozzarella, except that it is filled with butter or cream. This then explains the name as in Italian burrata means ‘buttered’.

A final cheese worth mentioning in this category is Bocconcini. This cheese is in essence simply small balls of mozzarella. In Italian, its name simply means ‘small mouthfuls’.

Moving on up the scale

The problem with the firmness scale as a measure for categorizing cheese is that firmness is a very subjective quality. There’s an obvious difference between something that is soft and hard. But in between, it’s hard to say if something is harder or softer. This in preciseness means that it is debatable where different cheeses go in the classification and different terms such as semi-soft, medium-hard, semi-hard are employed.

In any case, a cheese which is most certainly harder than mozzarella, but not hard compared to some other cheeses, is Gorgonzola. It is an Italian blue cheese, which means that it is matured in such a way as to allow mold to develop, thus giving the cheese a blue element to its color and a very distinctive flavor. The name Gorgonzola comes from a town near Milan, which claims to be the origin of this cheese.

Finally, we reach the hard cheese category, the king of which is Parmigiano-Reggiano. Quite possible you have never heard of this cheese, but actually, you probably have, just under a different name. Parmigiano-Reggiano is the true name for Parmesan cheese. In fact, according to European Law, the name Parmesan can only be used to describe Parmigiano-Reggiano, whereas in other parts of the world Parmesan is often the name for various different cheese that are approximations of Parmigiano-Reggiano. This is a very hard cheese, so much so that although it can be eaten on its own, it is usually added to pasta, soups or salads by grating. It has a strong flavor, so is a seasoning for these other foods. The name refers to Parma and Reggio Emilia, which are the two main areas of Italy in which it is produced.

Only the beginning

In this article, we have seen a little about the origins of cheese in Italy and we have very briefly become acquainted with a few of the most famous names in Italian cheese. There really are many more Italian cheeses, which we can discuss on another occasion. Just to mention a few in passing to whet your appetite before we close though:

Asiago, a semi-hard cheese, which is good for grating in its aged form and in sandwiches when fresh.

Caciocavallo is a medium-soft cheese produced in a manner similar to mozzarella except that the cheese is formed into balls and tied in twos after production. These pairs are then hung to dry and mature. This is possibly the origin of the name which translates as “horse cheese”, as the cheeses are saddled up and left to age. The cheese itself has a sharp taste.

Provolone is another cheese produced using the same method as mozzarella, except that the final product is semi-hard due to the cheese being left to age. For provolone dolce (sweet provolone) the aging process is two to three months and for provolone piccante (sharp or spicy provolone) the process is at least four months. This cheese has a claim to fame as it is the cheese used in the USA in Philadelphia Cheesesteak sandwiches.

Liverpool vs Wolves: Life Lessons from VAR

Human beings are funny old creatures. In the past, when watching football highlights, there always used to be lots of debates. He was offside! No, he wasn’t. Yes, he was. Or Look at that! The ref has made a blatant mistake. They were robbed!

So, after many years of such arguing and with the development of technology, a natural and logical solution to the problem arose, ‘Why don’t we just use video technology to correct the mistakes?’

It seems to make sense. A lot of the controversy is a result of the fact that so many matches are televised and the people analysing them have access to all sorts of video replays. So, why not give the people officiating access to said replays when they are judging so that they can make the right decisions?

A Tale of Two Goals

Well, in yesterday’s Liverpool vs Wolves match, there were two interesting incidents. Firstly, the ball was played forward and it looked like it bounced off the attacker’s arm into the path of a second attacker who scored. Not only that, but the defender who played the ball forward also appeared to touch it as he got it under control. However, using video replays someone was able to check and come to the conclusion that in the second case the ball came off the shoulder and in the first it was inconclusive and so didn’t merit being penalised. Maybe these were the right decisions although with regard to the goal it could be considered unfair as there were suggestions that the whistle had been blown and so the defensive players eased up, thinking that a free kick was going to be given (debatable though, as some of them at least continued playing).

A few minutes later, Wolves went into attack and scored an equaliser to make up for this first incident. Or so they thought! The equaliser preceded to be ruled put for offside. On the video replay, it could have only been offside by a fractional margin, so called millimetres as it were! It seemed harsh, especially considering what had happened moments earlier when a goal had been given because there was no conclusive evidence against it.

Expert Analysis

The interesting aspect to all this was that during the highlights programme, the football pundits spent their time debating the ins and outs of all this. Thus, technology was introduced to stop all the debating and arguing about different decisions, but all it has done has been to transfer the debating and arguing from one subject to another. Instead, of discussing the rights and wrongs of the referee’s decisions, the experts spend their time bemoaning technological mishaps and controversies.

It would seem that this says something about human nature. Decisions in something like football, which is fast paced and not clear cut, are always going to be subjective. There are some things that are obvious such as a direct elbow to the face or a man being a yard offside but what about when two men are practically level? It’s then just down to camera angle and the straightness of computer drawn lines. Likewise, many fouls are open to interpretation so it doesn’t necessarily help seeing it 10 times from 20 angles as it’s a matter of opinion. Did he catch him or not? Was it intentional?

In other words, somethings are down to how we interpret the situation, something that is never unbiased because we are all influenced by the circumstances around us, or indeed in us, so surely it’s better to let the referee make his mind up and just go with that. Indeed, in many situations our first, instinctive decision is often best (how many students have regretted changing their original answer to an exam question!). In any case, human beings are fallible creatures and so, even with video technology, mistakes can be made.

Anyone up for a good argument?

There is another aspect to this. It would seem that it’s human nature to criticize and be negative. This whole VAR situation arose because in the past many refereeing decisions were taken to task for being wrong. But we could have just been positive and accepted that mistakes happen because that’s human nature and accepted them. Trying to use technology to eradicate mistakes isn’t going to happen because it is ignoring the source of them.

The mistakes are not simply a result of the fact that the referee hasn’t seen something clearly but rather there are many complicated factors, not all of which can be avoided by watching video replays.

Play to the Whistle

Beyond the debate about the strengths and weaknesses of the VAR system, there is another lesson to be learned from this particular match. Wolves, the team seemingly wronged by the VAR decisions in the first half, could have let their heads go down and give up due to frustration. However, they didn’t. Indeed, based on the highlights, they were the better team in the second half and came closed to scoring. Liverpool didn’t have any good second half chances and the match could easily have been a draw.

So, here we learn that in life, even when some thing doesn’t go your way, it’s not a good idea to just give up. If we keep going, we still have a chance and actually some times, things can work out better than expected!

Rejection

Ben felt his heart pound as he moved swiftly along. The reason for the pounding was twofold.

There was the obvious breathlessness caused by physical effort. He was in a hurry to not be late for his meeting. However, there was something more. The said meeting could be described as a rendezvous and thus Ben, like any romantic hopeful, was nervous. What would he say exactly? More importantly, what would she say?

Ben was starting to feel decidedly tired, so he began to slow his pace. He was not used to such moments as these and so had misjudged his preparation time. He usually spent just a few moments readying himself before debarking into the world, but this time various different thoughts had plagued him. Was his hair combed okay? Had he forgotten anything? Was this even a good idea? This was topped by the present which he had already lovingly prepared, but he constantly felt the need to check on it and the accompanying letter, debating in his mind possible improvements.

At last, his destination was in sight. The agreed meeting point was in the central courtyard of the university, a fitting choice as it was during years doing student ministry that they had met and got to know one another. Ben turn a sharp right turn and entered the university campus via a back entrance. This wasn’t because he was worried about being seen, the campus was open throughway for all and sundry, but it was just the most convenient option and after all, he had no time to spare.

Glancing at his timepiece, he observed that he was right on time, 5.30 p.m. on the dot! Relieved, he quickly made his way through the campus to the middle, where there was a fountain surrounded by benches. As he approached it, he scanned around to see if the young lady that he had arranged to meet was there. She wasn’t. Resigning himself to one of life’s constants, he seated himself down on a bench to wait.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long, which was good because the butterflies were churning. From his vantage point, he could clearly see all the way to the main entrance of the university and after a while, he observed the shadowy figure of someone entering through the open gate and heading in his direction. He began to get his hopes up, in spite of previous experiences, and sure enough the figure had set a collision course towards him. It certainly looked like it was her and as she came closer the doubt melted away. It was her!

Ben felt a certain relaxation of tensions inside of him as the first two obstacles had been overcome; both he and she had made it. However, the most challenging part lay ahead.

Ben was a great one for small talk, especially when he was nervous, but Andriana obviously preferred the direct approach. ‘So, what’s this all about?’ was her cut to the chase question, without the usual pleasantries.

Ben was slightly taken aback. He had exchanged a number messages with her over a longish period of time, before mustering the courage to tell her that he had a present to give her. She had reacted with surprise and began questioning him via the internet. Ben was more of a face-to-face kind of person, so hadn’t known what to respond. Eventually though, Andriana had realised that Ben was angling for a meeting and so here they were.

‘Well..’ began Ben hesitantly, his plans already being derailed. He had written everything he had wanted to say in his letter, thinking that better as he could easily put his foot in it when speaking freely. He planned a short speech in order to offer the present with letter to Andriana and then was expecting that she would obediently take it, go away, read the letter, and then give a reply. ‘I, err, just wanted to give you this.’ He started to open his bag to get the present out, but she recalled.

‘For what reason a present?’

Ben realised this was going to be a lot trickier than he had anticipated.

‘I was thinking that I quite like talking to you and I thought that maybe we could get to know each other better.’ Andriana stared and Ben began reflecting on whether he had more dug himself out of or into a hole.

‘I mean to say that maybe we could keep communicating to see what God’s plan is for us?’ Ben said, reiterating his intentions, hoping that different words might produce a different respone. Andriana stared.

A brief, but not uncomfortable, silence followed. Ben thought about how he could have said things better and if he had been clearly understood. It was unclear to Ben what Andriana was thinking about, but it didn’t take long for her to verbalise her thoughts.

‘I hadn’t ever thought about that. It’s nice when someone asks you how you are and shows a genuine interest in you.’ She paused and then continued. ‘How old are you?’

This seemed like an unfortunate interjection at this stage. Ben mumbled a response, hoping that it wouldn’t put her off.

‘Okay, I’ll have to think about and it and get advice. How long have I got to give you an answer?’

Ben hadn’t thought about this and so didn’t know what to say. He mumbled again. Nevertheless, they somehow managed to agree on a timeframe of as long as you need, but not too long!

Ben didn’t know quite how to conclude things. He made a second attempt to offer his present, but the negative reaction, which included the word ‘Why’, caused him to abandon the idea. It seemed alright to offer to pray, so he did and this offer was accepted. After a few brief words of thanks for Andriana and a request for wisdom and guidance for her, they said their goodbyes. They then set off, ironically in the same direction, thus after exiting the university gate, they said goodbye again and were finally separated.

Each of us longs to be accepted. Whether it is about a desire for a loving relationship or a group of friends or particular community, we want others to like us and accept us. Thus, we are willing to change and conform to certain standards in order to increase our chances. How many young men and women adopt the latest fashions in clothes and hairstyles in the hope that they will be accepted.

But the truth is that no matter how hard we strive, we are not always well received. There are many factors at play when it comes to being accepted, especially with regard to romantic relationships. The other person could have so many different issues that it is hard to be sure how they will receive us.

It is additionally challenging for Christians who need to submit to God’s standards, something which can often cost popularity, certainly in terms of society, but even in one to one relationships as well. On the other hand, being a Christian offers a great comfort in the face of the rejections in this life by other people.

Christianity can be defined as a living relationship with God through Jesus Christ who is our intermediary. This connection to Jesus offers great hope and solace because He accepts all who come to Him (Matthew 11:28). He doesn’t have various pretensions or conditions for us. Indeed, this is the very meaning of grace; that He accepts us in spite of our flaws caused by sin due to the fact that He has already dealt with our sinfulness on the cross and furthermore, he offers us something that we don’t deserve, an abundant life in Him!

Hence, we can face the rejection of others, knowing that He sticks closer than a brother (proverbs 18:24).

It had been a whole week since they had met at the university. Ben was sitting in his room, resting after returning home from church, when the moment of truth arrived.

He was busy looking at one thing and another on his telephone as was his want, when all of a sudden a message appeared from Andriana. This caused quite a stir in Ben’s inner being. What could it say?

Cautiously, he opened the message, metaphorically speaking, and there before him were Andriana’s words. ‘Hi! I’ve made my decision. Would you like to meet or share I write it to you?’

Ben didn’t know what to say. In one sense it would have been nice to meet up again, although he wasn’t sure how his emotions would stand up to this. Alternatively, in writing was a good option as it was less confrontational.

Ben dithered and then began writing. It was in vane though as Andriana, by this stage proving herself to not be one to mess about had already started typing. Ben hurriedly rushed his message through that it would be nice to meet up, but if it was easier for her, she could write him an email. She wrote her message here in messenger.

Because she had already started typing, the agonising wait, was that little bit less agonising. The message, although quite long, appeared quickly. Ben couldn’t help himself scanning it before reading it, hoping for a clue as to its contents. He saw the word no and so quickly regretted his forwardness, although nevertheless embarked upon reading the message, conscious that the word no could have many contexts and connotations.

After some reassuring words about how she had seriously thought about Ben’s proposal, Andriana got to the business end of things. As Ben was now used to, there was no beating about the bush. The phrase, ‘my answer is no’, didn’t leave room for too much speculation as how this could be interpreted. The message did at least conclude with some encouraging words about trusting in God to show Ben his future wife.

Deflated, Ben resigned himself to another romantic defeat, and wrote a few cordial words in reply. This was however not quite the end.

A few days later an evangelistic meeting was taking place. Ben had been encouraged to try and invite some people, just one of which accepted. He arranged to meet this person at the bus stop by the university, so that he could bring her to the meeting. He arrived at the stop and she wasn’t there yet. This wasn’t the first time that he had a few moments to kill, waiting for someone by the university. As he daydreamed and looked around all of sudden he spied a familiar figure. It was Andriana on the other side of the road, heading towards the entrance to the university. Ben’s instinct was to call out to her to try and attract her attention. These proved fruitless though as she didn’t hear, or at least she didn’t stop.

Once again instinctively, Ben stepped forward, desiring to go after her. However, he realised that she was quite a bit ahead and already disappearing into the university campus. He now found himself in a quandary wondering about whether to go after her or not. His dilemma was disturbed by a voice.

‘Hi! Sorry I’m late!’ Ben turned to see the only student who had accepted to go to the evangelistic meeting. Her timely arrived reminded Ben that his calling from God was not to chase after possible spouses, but rather to serve those around him.

Hearsay

Ben sat eagerly awaiting. He was struggling to communicate in a meaningful way to his Asian companion who sat alongside him. Neither of them was very fluent in the same language, which is of course a problem in conversation, however they had been muddling along as best they could in a combination of broken English and Russian. ‘Russglish’ as one might say.

Above Image by John Hain from Pixabay

The reason Ben had got himself into this situation was starting to play on his mind. Earlier that morning, he had been sitting quietly, waiting for the first session of the conference he was attending to begin. His newfound Asian friend, also a conference participant, had approached him with a proposal, ‘Two of the girls at the conference want to meet us outside during the break.’

Ben wasn’t used to such offers and didn’t know how to react. He hadn’t had much time actually, as straight after the proposal, his friend had withdrawn to his seat and the conference had begun. He felt a nervousness grow inside himself, and an uncertainty well up inside. Was this a good idea? How could he get out of it?

He did his best to concentrate throughout the first session, but it was hard with such a tempting offer awaiting. When the break finally came, he sheepishly made his way towards the refreshments table, conscious of the fact that his friend had said for them to meet there. Sure enough, just as he was vainly looking around for some milk for his tea, his friend appeared.

Ben being an amiable sort of fellow, who found it hard to refuse, found himself being whisked outside, still undecided if it was what he should really be doing. After all, he’d come to the conference for spiritual growth, not marriage! He comforted himself with the thought that at least he had managed to a nab a good selection of biscuits, including chocolatey ones, before exiting and so had some emotional support.

His companion was very determined, suggesting that he was not unfamiliar with such occurrences and gave the air of knowing what he was doing, which was reassuring. They sat down on a low wall, which offered a token barrier between the paved area just outside of the conference room and the ensuing sports zone. Then they waited.

Ben’s understanding of these things was that the man should take initiative, but he himself hadn’t been very successful with that, which was why this situation was tantalising. In essence, it was an opportunity to meet someone without the hullabaloo of trying to find a way to organise things himself plus the added bonus of not spending endless hours in his mind debating about whether she would be interested or if it was even a good idea!

After his initial reservations, Ben had begun to warm to the idea and began to think to himself that as long as he approached things in a sensible, calm, Godly manner, he couldn’t go far wrong. What could the worst thing be to happen?

To pass the time as they waited, a conversation had struck up between the romantic hopefuls. A challenging one for sure, but using the Russian he knew, Ben had managed to ask a few things, and received Russian replies with some English words mixed in, that he at least partially understood. At first this seemed cumbersome, but as time passed by, he began to realise and appreciate the uniqueness of the moment. He was having fellowship in a language he barely knew with someone from a distant land that he had never been to and indeed had only vaguely heard of. Now, that was something special!

Nevertheless, impatience began to grow. The fellowship was great, but it didn’t stop the butterflies that by this time were churning around in his stomach. He was getting worried that there would be butter inside him soon! Where were the ladies? Maybe they had got confused about the meeting point or were being held up by something? Maybe they had changed their minds, or it had all been a prank to begin with?

Glancing at the time, it began to dawn on Ben that this rendezvous probably wasn’t going to happen. The break was almost over and there wasn’t any sign of those who were supposedly interested in meeting up. The butterflies began to die down and be replaced by a combination of a slight disappointment, but an overwhelming relief that the moment had passed without anything tricky or awkward occurring.

Deflated, but also in some ways elated, Ben and his companion silently accepted that their hopes had been dashed and rose from their stony seat, returning to the second session of the conference, ready to fight another day.

In life, situations often arise where it is hard to know what to think or do. One such example is the Coronavirus. There are two distinctly different schools of thought. One is that it is just a bad case of flu, the other that it is much more contagious and dangerous than other bacterial. Most of us don’t know much about these sorts of viruses so we based our opinion on what we have heard. But often what we hear from others is not necessarily accurate or has a certain bias. Thus, our expectations can easily be mistaken.

Unfortunately, many people take this approach to other important questions in life such as what we believe. Which ever way you look at it, an example of an important question is whether Jesus was who he said he was. If he truly was the Son of God, then we need to listen to what he had to say. On the other hand, if he was something else than the Son of God, that means it’s optional as to how much attention we pay to his teaching.

People resolve this issue in different ways. Some just ignore it, while others say that Jesus didn’t even exist. A middle ground is to accept that he existed, but to say that he was anything from a prophet to a magician who deceived people. There are many arguments that can be given, and much debate to be had for each one. The bottom line though is that it is hard to deny that Jesus existed. There is much written evidence, both Christian and secular, and it is also had to believe that a fantasy figure could have had such a huge impact on the world.

In any case, it is important that we don’t base our opinions on something simply on what we have heard from others. It is worth investigating the evidence for ourselves in order to develop an informed idea of the truth. It is possible that the reality might turn out to be different to what we had thought.

Ben spent the rest of the day in a quandary. Had he done the right thing going outside to meet the girls? Had it even been true that they wanted to meet? This seemed to him to have been wishful thinking, a vane hope that someone would have wanted to meet up with him. Maybe a rouse to the enjoyment of others or perhaps they just had second thoughts. After all it wouldn’t be the first time!

Ben’s judgement on the matter was hazy for a while, until after much deliberating he reached the conclusion that the girls must have thought better. After all, maybe he looked alright at first sight, but it didn’t take much to spy out his weaknesses.

He resigned himself to this cloudy conclusion until he arrived for dinner. After entering the dining hall, where all the conference participants congealed together (strangely without the tardiness which often pervaded the seminars) to await the evenings sustenance, he began to search for a free seat. It was always a trying task to find the right place to sit at mealtimes, so he usually just allowed himself to be taken by the spirit to the spot that had been ordained for him at each respective mealtime.

On this occasion, he felt himself being drawn to a table where there were two free seats opposite one another. When one of the girls who was sitting on this table saw him, she gleefully and invitingly urged him to occupy one of these places. Not being one to refuse an invitation, he sat down. Hardly a minute had past when all of a sudden, the unexpected happen. Opposite him an attractive, blond lady took her place, and without introduction began firing questions at him. Where are you from? What do you do? What’s your opinion of this and that…..

It was quite an interview and it continued throughout the three courses of soup, potato pancakes and funny little pastry desert. Ben had tried to be polite and open with his answers, but it was hard, especially as some of the questions touched on sensitive issues, Why are you here? Where do you get finances from? and what are your future plans? Not that it was bad to discuss such things, but nevertheless a little uncomfortable seeing as they had only just met.

Eventually, just as the last flakes of pastry were being ingested, did the interrogation come to an abrupt end. The blond lady excused herself and she was gone as fast as she had appeared. Overall, Ben was relieved although there was something quite nice about someone being so interested in finding out about him.

That evening, as he reflected on the day before entering the land of nod, Ben realised that this was probably the lady that he had been due to meet earlier on in the day. Either by design or divine intervention, his meeting with her had been delayed to the mealtime. It hadn’t been by any means what he had expected or indeed hoped, although he was now at least sure of the realities of the situation and no longer fumbling around in his mind in the darkness of vague possibilities.