S03E011, Colanders, Saucepans and Strainers, Andy B 2 Minute Video

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Andy loves the kitchen! And he was inspired, a while ago, about how saucepans can teach us much about pressure in our lives, and letting that pressure go with God.

Today, he has a saucepan and a colander…both are great at straining, but with each the BerryBunch either lose rice – if they’re a bit too energetic pouring the wet rice in, or slipping the saucepan lid – and losing all the veg.

Even with a strainer, they are only as good as the size of the hole and the size of what you’re trying to strain through!

In life, there will always be things we’re trying to add in or take out, and we use filters and strainers every day to do that.

On the microphone that Andy B is speaking through, there is a physical strainer – a pop shield – as well as 3 digital filters to make it sound better. That audio is then passed through even more filters to get rid of any unwanted background noise and hiss.

So where do we need to let the Holy Spirit be more of the strainer to our life?

Where are we trying to hold a lid on things, when there is a much better filter waiting…well within our reach.

In 2021, at least in the west, we all have access to multiple versions and copies of the bible. We have it on our bookshelves, via the internet and on our phones and tablets.

And scripture is the best filter we will ever have to hear the voice of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, showing us the best way of separating those things that aren’t good for us.

But, we do need to put ourselves in the hands of our creator…the perfect hands to help us separate what we think is really important, against what God really wants us to look like and get involved in.

Just a thought...

Andy B

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Transcript

So, erm, I've been thinking about all sorts of different things: we've been filming for Endurance - which is why I'm stood in front of a green screen, looking kind of funky.

Erm, but we've been looking, erm, staying on target and it got me thinking about some other stuff that I haven't talked about in our episode of Endurance, which we'll link to.

Erm, but I've got a colander - which is just a really cheap, plastic, colander with different sized holes and I've got a saucepan.

And I was thinking about how we strain things out of our life and, this colander, it's not my favourite - we used to have a really good one (you can have a favourite colander - I have a favourite ladle too).

Erm, but this, this ladle, sorry this colander is brilliant at most things, but when we put rice through it, and we get through a lot of rice as a family, erm it comes out the holes.

So you have to be really slow at pouring it in, and it does a pretty good job at getting rid of most of the stuff. But if you're a bit too enthusiastic then you lose half the right 'cos it either comes out the other side, or, er, goes through the holes cos it's bigger than a grain of rice.

Erm, the other thing I've got is this, is this saucepan. There's different ways of straining.

Erm, if the saucepans in use, or it's dirty, or whatever, then you can put a saucepan, you can get the ever so slightly off, pour it out and you can strain things.

Don't worry this isn't a cooking show!

But [thank you]. Er, but, there are things in our lives that we need to strain out - the things we should do, the things we shouldn't do. Erm, and the best strainer is always going to be the Bible: it's the standard by which you measure all things.

Now I measure a lot of things by the colander we no longer have. It had lovely little holes - the rice wouldn't go through; it was straight sides - so stuff didn't fly out. That's my standard for a decent calendar: I haven't found it since, as sad as that might sound.

I've got a favourite ladle because it's got a curve on one side, and an angle on the other so when you go round a saucepan, you can scrape stuff from the outside - it's my standard for what a good ladle should look like, or a spoon.

And the Bible is the ultimate standard for everything!

If we're thinking how do we strain out of our life that we shouldn't have; that we really like, or maybe we want to do, or whatever - this is the way we strain things.

It's better than my little plastic colander.

It's better than my standardised colander, which is even better.

This [colander] is better still because it's strains things out of our life.

If you've got in your life and you think 'well I don't want to let go of this cos it's really important to me' - what is God's word say?

If you're thinking 'well I wanna to go into this area of life, and I'm not sure what I should be doing' - here's the filter. It's the filter for every decision you will ever have to make in your life.

Well how does it measure up against here?

The colander - too big for rice. It's got curvy sides.

Erm, the saucepan - well it's kind of OK, but if you get it wrong, it all comes out.

The bible's perfect every single time .

So what is God asking you to strain out of your life? If you're not sure what it is, pray about it, invite the Holy Spirit - who's a wonderful helper, to help you.

Open up the Bible and you can hear God tell you what you need to do.

Just a thought.