ECU weekend

I've just arrived back from the ECU weekend away...cracking time of hearing God's word opened, fellowship and banter with around 130 students from the Exeter Evangelical Christian Union. We had the pleasure of Paul Weber speaking on the book of Jonah, which was a reminder of the glorious Gospel that ECU is sharing on campus.

The book of Jonah is testament to God's ability to save people in spite of the behaviour of those who preach his message! Jonah is busy running from God's presence (Duh?) but nevertheless the pagan sailors turn to the LORD and the city of Nineveh repents in sackcloth and ashes. God's prophet, on the other hand, has been disobedient to his calling, and is then consumed by self-pity when his providentially-placed plant dies. But God graciously reasons him over his right to save Nineveh, demonstrating that the reluctant prophet has no right to be angry - God is a 'gracious God' as Jonah says, who will call and save people not because of their behaviour but because of his mercy.

This week we get to be living and speaking the Gospel on Exeter's campus in many ways. Tomorrow is the first night of the Christianity Explored course at the Impy pub. Tuesday we're praying on campus and Friday is a co-hosted DebateSoc/ECU event. Many opportunities to pray for and speak about God's Gospel, that it would be proclaimed and that he will be working to open blind eyes to his glorious Grace to us in Christ.

Since this blog is going to be host to many of my loves, me thought I should start as I mean to go on, so...

This week's recipe - Rich's Canadian Oatmeal Cake

It's a bit of a long recipe, but well worth it. A staple on the SW team-days :)

Ingredients

1½ cups/ 335ml boiling water

1 cup/ 85g oatmeal (or more)

½/ cup/ 113g marg

1 cup/ 220g brown sugar

1 cup/ 200g white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1½ cup/ 195g flour

pinch salt

1/2 cup raisins

350˚F/ 170˚C 35 mins

Method

1. Pour boiling water over oats, let soften

2. In a separate bowl, whisk fat and sugar together till fluffy. Add in eggs one by one mixing each time. Sift in flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix together.

3. Add bowl of oatmeal into the rest of the ingredients, mix and pour into a square cake tin (greased and lined). Cook for about 40 minutes but keep an eye on it. Should be taken out of oven when a skewer comes out of the middle of the cake clean. If the cake is still liquidy in the middle but going brown on top, place some foil over it and continue baking.

4. When cooked, let it cool in tin for 10 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a cooling rack.

Icing

5. Heat 1 cup milk on the stove. Mix 5 tbsp flour with a dash of milk in a cup (to avoid lumps). Add this thick mix into the milk when hot on stove. Whisk until boiled and beginning to thicken. Take off the heat and let cool completely.

6. When the flour/milk is totally cool, beat together one cup of margerine and one cup of fine white sugar. Add 1 tsp vanilla essence.

7. Add this mix to the milk/flour mix. Whip together and spread over cake. Makes a substantial, not too sweet white icing. Yummy!!