TT 181

SARAH

Must reads:

King’s Inspiration: Believe Bigger

Pg 7

Entrepreneur: How to quit for all the right reasons

Pg 9

My Health: Self Testing

HPV Test - A game changer for cervical cancer screening

Pg 10-11

CHARACTER OF STRENGTH

CONTENTS

My Pulpit Message notes | Characters of strength - SARAH | 3-4

My Devotional: You are a champion | 6 King’s Inspiration: Believe Bigger | 7

Wambui’s reflections: The art of war and the element of surprise | 8

My Entrepreneur: How to quit for all the right reasons | 9

My Health: | Self Testing HPV Test - A game changer for cervical cancer screening 10-11

My Kitchen: The Best Chicken and Rice |12

My Sports: Novak Djokovic wins his 10th title in Melbourne to join Rafael Nadal on 22 Grand Slams |13

My Pulpit Message Notes

SARAH

11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.

vant girl, Hagar, who was working for them to Abraham as a wife so that she would bear a son in her place.

When we look at this verse at a glance it seems like Sarah was such a strong pillar of faith that she appeared in this famous hall of faith of heroes of faith among Abraham, Enoch etc. However, when we look at the details of her life in Genesis, we realise that this journey of faith was not an easy one.

When we read through several versions of the Bible, the NIV, Amplified, NLT, we realise they use the phrase “Even Sarah…” in Hebrews 11. I found this interesting because it is not used with the rest of the people who are in that chapter. For example, “4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did”, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life,”V5 “By faith Noah…,”V7 “By faith Abraham….,”V8 “And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age…V11,

When we look at the English language in the context of how this word ‘Even’ is used in the sentence it is usually used to show something that is surprising, unusual, unexpected, or extreme.

What is it about Sarah that was surprising, or unusual or maybe just a bit different from the rest? When we look at many of the heroes recorded in Hebrews 1,1 we realise that all of them faced difficult circumstances, almost impossible situations and Sarah was no different.

As Genesis shows us, she and her husband Abraham had received a promise from the LORD that they would have a son and through this son, they would birth many nations, they would have generations upon generations, that they would be blessed through this son.

However we know from Genesis that Sarah was unable to conceive up to the point where she was past child bearing age. She was almost 90 years old and Abraham was almost 100 years old. They had received this promise when Abraham was 75, so it had been 25 years of waiting.

And so it probably seemed to her that this promise of God was impossible to achieve and so Sarah, like may heroes of the faith faced difficulty, an impossible situation. However unlike many of the other heroes that we see in Hebrews 11 Sarah’s journey was full of doubt.

- Some example of this in Genesis is when the promised son didn’t come, Sarah decided to devise her own ways to make this happen so she gave her ser-

- Another example of Sarah’s doubting character is seen in Genesis 18 again where we see three visitors coming and meet Abraham and they are sitting and having a conversation with Abraham and Sarah is outside the tent listening to the conversation and when these three visitors who were from the LORD, reminded him again, you are going to have a son around this time next year, Sarah laughed.

- Genesis 18:10-15 “Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

- Sarah not only laughed, but tried to hide her doubt by lying.

- Looking at her character, Sarah on the surface does not seem like a strong candidate to feature in Hebrews 11, the hall of faith, yet even with her fears and doubts, her strategising and trying to make God’s plans happen in her own way, it is clear that she came to a turning point in her faith such that she is mentioned in this chapter 11 of Hebrews.

My Pulpit Message Notes are transcribed from the sermon preached at the Nairobi Baptist Church (NBC) Ngong Road on Sunday 29th January, 2023. Preacher - Pastor Melina Kemboi, Worship Ministry NBC. Scripture: Hebrews 11:11. Topic: Characters of strength - SARAH

Image courtesy: medium

My Pulpit Message Notes

Doubt confronted.

- Sarah is confronted about her doubt. She has to face it head-on . Genesis 18, they asked her, “Why did you laugh?” These angels from the LORD came and said, actually what is behind that laughter. What is in your heart that is causing you to laugh? When we are telling you what the LORD is going to do? What is in your mind? So they forced Sarah into a place where she had to come face to face with what was in her heart.

- God does the same thing with us. He doest want us to hide when we have doubt, or struggling to believe Him, but He prefers that we bring it out into the open before Him, to share it, to confess our doubts with Him and to ask Him for help, that He may restore our faith.

- When we think about the man who had the demon possessed son, the one who had fits, had fallen into fire, water in Mark 9 and this man brings his son to Jesus and wants Jesus to heal him and asks Jesus to heal his son.

Mark 9:22 “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” 23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

It seems like a contradiction, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief”. He didn’t hide that there was some unbelief in his heart, but rather he asked the Lord for help. He said Lord, I believe, but I am also struggling. I believe, but there is still some doubt in my heart. Help me overcome my unbelief.

Jesus didn’t reject Thomas. In fact He said come put your fingers in my wounds. He helped Thomas come to the place where his faith in the Lord Jesus was strengthened.

- So we need to come to a place where we acknowledge, to confront, to be open with the Lord about what doubts, or forms of unbelief we have in our hearts.

Shift in Focus

- Sarah was heavily focused on her circumstances. Her age, her situations, what was humanly possible, yet when the Lord asks her, is anything too difficult for the Lord? This must have caused her to stop and actually think, who is this God and what is He able to do? What is possible with Him? Maybe as she pondered and looked back on her life she must have thought, this God took us from a land that we had been in for years and took us to a place that is unfamiliar and he sustained us. He built our wealth. This same God delivered me when I was going to be the wife of two other men in different situations and supernaturally the Lord intervened.

- Maybe she looked back at Psalm 77, the psalmist says, “And I looked back and I remembered the years of the right hand of the Most High.” In her dif-

ficult circumstances she probably stopped and pondered, who is this God? Who have I seen Him to be? What has He done and what is He able to do? So that she may have gotten to a place where she realises that once again this God is faithful. As Hebrew 11 says, “She considered Him faithful”.

- Where is our focus? Are our eyes fixed on the circumstances that we are facing, or on the LORD and who He is? Is there anything that is too hard for the LORD?

Standing on God’s Promises

- Sarah came to a place where she chose to stand on God’s promises.

- As she came to a new realisation of God’s faithfulness, God’s power. She must have realised the weight / value of God’s promise because of who He was. He is faithful, He is the all powerful God, He is God of miracles, God of the supernatural and He can / shall keep His word. She can therefore stand on His promises. Even though it has been 25 years waiting, I can stand, because it says, ‘next year this time’, I can stand on His promises.

- Do we know what God has promised us? Do we know the promises in Scriptures as His children, His sons and daughters? Maybe 25-30 years ago like Sarah? Are there promises that God has whispered into your heart even this year? Perhaps you have lost sight of His promises and you need Him to repeat them again, or reaffirm them again in our heart.

- We see the LORD doing this with Sarah and Abraham. He repeated the promise over them many years. He kept repeating them. In Genesis 12, 13, 15, 17 and finally the three visitors in Genesis 18. The LORD repeated His promises. He knows that as humans we can be shaky, but He comes and He says let me remind you of my promise. Remember my promise.

- So even Sarah who was doubtful many times, laughing, devising her own plans, focused more on her circumstances than God, even this Sarah, by faith got to a point where she fully believed that God is faithful and because He is faithful He would keep His promises, and as a result of this she was enabled to bear a child and became one of the heroes, the stalwarts of faith in Hebrews 11.

- No matter how many doubts may flood our hearts at times, no matter what fears, times of despair and disillusionment we may have, as we wait on the LORD, that we will have hope, that we can become characters of strength like Sarah because of the faith that she had on the LORD.

My Life

How to get saved and spend eternity with God

His Love

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16 (NASB)

My response

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Romans 10:9-10 (NASB)

My prayer

Lord God Almighty, thank You for Your love for me. Thank You that You sent Your Son Jesus Christ to die for my sins. Please forgive me for all the sins I have committed against You. I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that He died on the cross and You raised Him from the dead on the third day. Please write my name in the Lamb’s book of life. Help me to live a life that is holy and pleasing unto You. In Jesus’ Name I pray and believe. Amen

You Are A Champion

https://sportsspectrum.com/ | By Sports Spectrum

“My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” — Daniel

6:22

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “champion?”

There are multiple different definitions you can find, but they all revolve around a similar idea. A champion is an individual who “defeats all rivals in competition.” Champions fight on behalf of someone or something else. They persevere under pressure, walking calmly and confidently through their adversity, with the belief that they will make it out on the other side stronger than they were before. Champions don’t listen to others who question them and try to bring them down. Their faith in their mission is so strong that not any one person or any one thing can get in their way of accomplishing it.

We are given many examples of what a champion is throughout the Bible.

God called David, a young shepherd boy, to fight the biggest giant of that time: Goliath. How would you feel if God called you to do something like that? David was uncertain; he was scared. Yet, he trusted God wholeheartedly. Because of his belief in God and in himself, he walked into that fight with his rocks and slingshot, and he succeeded.

When Daniel was faced with the decision to renounce his faith or to be thrown into the lions’ den, he chose to stand strong in his beliefs. He trusted that the Lord would be there for him, and he was not let down. The lions’ mouths were closed, and Daniel lived.

Jesus is the Ultimate Champion, the One others only pointed to. He carried our sins to the cross and paid the ultimate price. Yes, He was scared, but He had full faith in His Father. He willingly suffered and died because He loved us, and

nothing is greater than that. After three days, He rose from the dead and opened the gates of Heaven so we could live.

These examples, and all of God’s champions, have something in common. None of them lived glamorous lifestyles; they were ordinary people. But because they embraced God’s role for themselves, they were able to tackle the most monstrous feats, coming out victorious on the other side.

God calls each and every one of us to take on the role He has for us — to be His champions. While we may not have to stare down a hungry lion or fight a giant, we will have to face challenges every day. It’s how we respond to these challenges that define us as champions.

Being a champion isn’t an easy thing to do. However, God doesn’t leave us to figure it out by ourselves. We were created in His image and likeness. That means we also have the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ. How cool is that? With the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ, we cannot fail. With the mind of a champion, we can go into every battle we face and come out victorious. God sees us as champions, so why should we view ourselves as anything less than that? We are His children, and that in and of itself means we have already won.

As you walk into your next challenge, whatever it may be, walk into it confidently with a champion’s mindset. Believe that God won’t let you down. He won’t. Stand firm, stand tall and know that you will come out of the trials you face stronger than when you went into them. You are a child of God, and you are indeed a champion.

— Emily Reitz

King’s Inspiration

By William King

We all face dreams that seem too big and obstacles that are too much to overcome, the medical report is not good, our family member is off course, we don’t have the connection. It’s easy to get discouraged and settle where we are. But God has all the power in the world to bring to pass the dream He put in our heart.

The key is our faith. God works through our faith. If you believe little, you’ll receive little. If you think small, you’ll get stuck where you are. The Scripture talks about different levels of our faith. In Matthew 8, the disciples were in a boat with Jesus. A huge storm arose.

They woke Jesus up and cried out, “We’re about to die!” Before Jesus calmed the winds and waves, He said to them, “Why do you have so little faith?” (Matthew 8:26). He was saying, “You’ve seen the miracles I’ve done. You know I can do anything. Why are you still stuck at this low level of faith?”

If you’re going to reach the fullness of your destiny, it’s not going to happen with a weak, little, doubting or average faith. It’s going to take great faith. The good news is, it’s in you, but you have to awaken your great faith. You have to stir up what God put in you.

Not long before this, the disciples had seen an example of great faith. A Roman officer had come to Jesus and asked Him to heal his servant, who was paralyzed. But rather than have Jesus come to his house, the officer said, “Just speak the word” (Matthew 8:10).

This officer wasn’t Jewish or even a follower of Christ, yet he had more faith than the disciples. Having great faith is not about being a religious scholar or how long you pray. It’s about a faith that takes the limits off of God. Let’s be people who cause God to marvel over our faith.

THE ART OF WAR AND THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE Wambui’s Reflections

By Wambui | image courtesy: Happify

Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist, yet whoever is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

_Mathew 11:11-15

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it.

For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.

Whoever has ears, let him hear.

Preamble

John the baptist was the fore runner for Jesus. He was also the one who baptised Jesus. But it is good to know that at this time John the baptist was in prison the same time Jesus’ ministry was just beginning.

John the baptist was trying to understand what was happening in this season because things were not adding up. Jesus shows up, he baptises him then now he is in prison.

During the baptism, John clearly heard the voice from heaven say....”this is my Son in whom I am well pleased with and John continues to recall this event with alot of doubt.

John then starts questioning God that why should he be in prison? Was it really God’s voice he heard? Is Jesus really who God says He is?

The Disciples too join I and ask Jesus - are you the coming one and if yes how come John the Baptist is in prison?

Often people think, or ask themselves:...What is my ultimate objective in life? And our Ultimate Objective in life has a few parameters or points that make others say - that person has finally established themselves in life or has gained stability. Society does not make things any better, because they seem to put social markers that people tend to believe or identify with that is markers of stability e g. Are you married? Do you have children? Where did you go to school? Did you graduate? etc...these are just but afew examples of markers that are supposed to indicate whether, or not we have stability in our lives.

My take is that stability is but an illusion because even when for example you get married - your marriage goes through changes , for example, you start well madly in love then you get children and you now are dealing with attitudes of different people because they come with various challenges, a spouse becomes sick, or loses a job.

Eventually a marriage that was seen as a place of stability now changes face because you who is experiencing these changes gets to be transformed into different phases.

And when those transformations take place they have the ability to shake the marriage! So we end up doing a de-service to people by asking them about those markers of stability.

Success is measured by whetsher, or not you have made it to build something stable. That is why I see stability as an illusion in a world that promises change because people think that stability is a destination of life forgetting that Destiny is a Journey and not a destination!

So instead of chasing or finding stability, we need to find adaptability that is how able are we to adapt.

I personally believe this is the greatest marker in life’s success that is if you or I are able to fully grasp and learn the art of adaptability.

There are some businesses, or jobs that don’t take into account your IQ - Intelligence Quotient level or your EQ -; Emotional Quotient any more, now what they take Account of is your AQ - Adaptability Quotient. How well are you able to adapt.

Question

Can you adapt with me? Can you grow with me? Can you move with me? - that is can we go from meeting the president of a nation to visiting the homeless people in the streets....or are only okay when things are stable.

Woe unto you if you are only comfortable when you are stable because you will fall apart when the world does what it knows best and that is change!

Pray that God breathes into your life the ability to adapt when life changes.. When we adapt to various changes in our lives we learn more about ourselves meaning you don’t realise you can do certain things untill your placed in a certain environment and if you don’t realise the need to adapt then you end up missing out on what God is intending to transform you into.

We talk about your gifts making or creating room for you and bringing you before great atmospheres and great people’s environments...But what will keep you in that room is your ability to adapt.

You don’t speak in certain ways when you are in certain rooms and if you don’t learn to adapt then you are going to stay out not just for the reasons you think but it it is because you will have said “I cannot fit in this room”. We talk about standing out and I know this is very important, but in actual sense standing out is when your gift stands out, e.g. that is your ability to create stands out.

But there are somethings in you that should not stand out especially when you are in certain rooms.

You have to muster how to flow in every room, you have to know how to function no matter where you are...e g. The way you speak to family should be different from the way you speak in a corporate business but your substance does not change what changes is your delivery.

When we are unable to adapt we often get frustrated because we keep asking why is this delivery not working in the Atmosphere I am in?

People who understand the importance of adapting, recognize that the number one role in life is not to be a master, but a student.

The more I am willing to learn the more likely I am to grow. Because when I go into an environment, I don’t try to own the room but I try to learn the room before I speak. Because if I speak and I say something that disqualifies me from the room, I may never be in that room again.

But if I take time to learn the environment e.g. how do they speak? How do they dress? How do they show up? What is my role here? What are the battles in this room? etc The most important thing you can when you have been invited to an environment that is greater or bigger than what you think is yours, it is not to try and prove that you deserve to be there BUT to be silent long enough to learn where you are. And if you are silent long enough to learn what you are, then God will highlight why you are there!

- Sometimes we are so busy trying to prove that we deserve to be in the room and yet we do not know why God sent us to that room.

Our Meditation should be...

I am so disqualified and I don’t know why I am here but I know God sent me here so I am silent so that God can speak to me, I am afraid to use the language that gets me into this room so God has to show me how to speak in this room.

God show me how to speak in this business. God show me how to speak when I am dealing with this banker, when I am negotiating this contract etc....I realize I cannot talk to them like I talk to friends but I have to raise my language for the environment I am in!

Entrepreneur

How to quit for all the right reasons

www.biblicalleadership.com

| ByDavid Bowman | image credit: istock

You may have heard someone exhort you not to quit something you were doing, or you have heard the phrase, “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” However, it is important to know there is a time to quit, and leadership expert John Maxwell provides some helpful quitting guidelines.

Maxwell writes you should quit:

1. “Something you don’t do well to start something you do well.”

2. “You should quit something you are not passionate about to do something that fills you with passion.”

3. “You should quit something that doesn’t make a difference.”

Aren’t you glad that the Apostle Peter quit fishing?

He had been out all night fishing with nothing to show for his efforts. As a fisherman I know what Peter must have felt. It is hard, and even embarrassing, to pull into the dock with an empty cooler.

Jesus says to Peter, launch out into the deep and put down your nets.

Peter, who was now on shore, could have responded, “Teacher, you may not know it but out here on the sea of Galilee we do all our fishing at night. You stick to teaching and I’ll stick to fishing,” but he didn’t.

Peter responds, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets”(Luke 5:4).

Peter’s experience doesn’t validate what Jesus is asking Him to do, but Peter, out

of obedience does what Jesus asks him to do.

And we know the rest of the story. Peter hauls in so many fish that the nets are in danger of breaking. There are so many fish that he has to call another boat for help to land their catch.

If I were Peter, I might have thought let’s keep this process going. Let’s get some more boats, increase our distribution, and we can make a lot of money. But that’s not what he does. He decides to quit fishing because:

He knows while he can do the fishing thing, but there is something he can do even better.

He knows he is not passionate about what he is doing, and he longs to do something that fills him with passion.

And he knows he is doing something that lacks eternal consequence, and he wants to do something that can change the world.

Peter is not forced to quit his fishing job. He does so voluntarily and on his own, because he recognizes there is something more important than fishing.

Maybe like Peter you are stuck at what you are doing, and you know you could be doing something even better, something that you could do more passionately and something that might have eternal consequences.

Maybe like Peter, you are ready to quit what you are doing for all the right reasons.

My Health

SELF TESTING HPV TEST - A GAME CHANGER FOR CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally, cervical cancer ranks as the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women and yet it is a preventable disease. The WHO has a global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer is to envision a world without cervical cancer.

To achieve this the following targets must be met by 2030 for countries to be on a path to eliminate the disease. 90% of girls fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by the age of 15 years, 70% of women are screened by the age of 35 and 90% of women identified with the disease receive treatment.

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a common virus that is associated with ano-genital cancer. Normally, people are infected with HPV if their genitals or mouths touch the genitals of someone infected with the virus. HPV can also be spread by close genital-to-genital touch.

HPV infection in the genitals can cause cancer of the cervix or vagina in women or cancer of the penis in men. Other types of HPV can cause genital warts in women and men. HPV infection also causes anal cancer and oral cancer in both women and men.

Image credit: UT health Houston

HPV test is a screening test to detect the presence of high-risk HPV types that are most likely to cause cervical cancer. This test is done by itself as a primary HPV screen or done at the same time as a Pap smear test and this is called a co-test. This can be done either by a healthcare worker or patients in the comfort of their own home using a special brush to collect the sample.

Dr. Khadija Warfa, Consultant Gynaecologic Oncologist, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi

The WHO has a global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer is to envision a world without cervical cancer. To achieve this the following targets must be met by 2030 for countries to be on a path to eliminate the disease. 90% of girls fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by the age of 15 years, 70% of women are screened by the age of 35 and 90% of women identified with the disease receive treatment.

By Dr. Khadija Warfa, Consultant Gynaecologic Oncologist, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi

My Health

Primary HPV test is the recommended screening method for women between ages of 30 – 65 years every five years in HIV negative women and every 3 years in HIV positive women as per the Ministry of Health and National cancer screening guidelines. The test is available only to women; no test exists to detect the virus in men.

If high risk HPV is found then a Pap smear test will be collected to look at cell changes, if there are no changes, then your doctor will ask you to return in one year to make sure the HPV has cleared. If high-risk HPV and cell changes are seen, then you will undergo further tests.

Early detection of the virus improves the chances of successful treatment of pre-cancers and cancers. Women have the option of a self-test when compared to other modalities for screening cervical cancer and this might improve the uptake of screening. Women with a negative test can be confident that they are at very low risk of developing abnormal cells that may lead to cervical cancer within the next five years when they will test again.

Primary HPV test is the recommended screening method for women between ages of 30 – 65 years every five years in HIV negative women and every 3 years in HIV positive women as per the Ministry of Health and National cancer screening guidelines.

My Kitchen

The Best Chicken and Rice

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/

Ingredients

Deselect All

2 tablespoons canola oil

4 to 6 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs (about 6 ounces each)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 medium carrots (about 12 ounces), sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

3 stalks celery (about 9 ounces), sliced 1/4-inch thick

2 large shallots (about 4 ounces), finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup long-grain rice

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Directions

Preheat the broiler. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Toss the chicken with the paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Place the chicken skin-side down in the skillet and cook undisturbed until the skin is golden but not too dark, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate using a metal spatula and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet.

Add the carrots, celery and shallots to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not yet turning golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, oregano, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook just until you begin to smell the garlic, about 1 minute. Stir in the rice and cook undisturbed until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Pour in the broth, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir to combine, then add the chicken thighs back to the pan, skin-side up. Bring the liquid to a boil then cover, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the lid from the pan and broil until the chicken skin is crispy and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with the chives.

My Sports

Novak Djokovic wins his 10th title in Melbourne to join Rafael Nadal on 22 Grand Slams

https://www.skysports.com/tennis/news

Novak Djokovic lands a record-extending 10th Australian Open men’s singles title to equal Rafael Nadal’s all-time record for most Grand Slam men’s singles titles with 22; the 35-year-old’s victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas also sees him return to world No 1

Novak Djokovic sealed a record-extending 10th title at the Australian Open with a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas to equal Rafael Nadal’s all-time record for most Grand Slam men’s singles titles with 22.

Djokovic dropped just one set all tournament despite saying he feared a left hamstring problem might force him to withdraw, and he finished with a superb win over first-time Melbourne finalist Tsitsipas to become the fifth player to win 22 Grand Slam singles titles, after Margaret Court (24), Serena Williams (23), and Steffi Graf and Nadal (both 22).

Djokovic also reclaims the world No 1 ranking from Carlos Alcaraz, and it would be very difficult to argue that he does not justify that position having once again put the younger generations in their place.

His status in Australia, meanwhile, is unmatched, with the 35-year-old winning a 28th consecutive Australian Open match and a 41st in a row in the country as a whole.

Djokovic was overcome with emotion after climbing into the stands to celebrate with his family.

He lay down in the players’ box sobbing uncontrollably before recomposing himself for the presentation ceremony.

Wearing a jacket bearing the number 22, Djokovic lifted the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup for a 10th time.

He said: “This has been one of the most challenging tournaments I’ve ever played in my life. Not playing last year, coming back this year. I want to thank all the people that made me feel welcome, made me feel comfortable to be in Melbourne, to be in Australia.

“There’s a reason I’ve played my best tennis on this court. Only my team and my family know what we’ve been through in the last four, five weeks. This probably is the biggest victory in my life considering the circumstances.”

With the heavy strapping on his left hamstring missing for the first time all tournament, Djokovic hit top form straight away at the Rod Laver Arena, winning the first set in 36 minutes.

Tsitsipas, appearing in his first final in Melbourne, was forced to save two break points in his first service game but came unstuck two games later.

Djokovic, who came from two sets down to defeat Tsitsipas in the 2021 French Open final, lost just five points on serve before taking the set 6-3.

His father Srdjan was again absent from Djokovic’s players’ box having opted to stay away from his semi-final win after being filmed with pro-Russia demonstrators at Melbourne Park last week.

Tsitsipas needed to get a foothold in the match and he did so at the start of the second set, finding a better length and greater aggression on his groundstrokes.

Djokovic was no longer so comfortable in his service games, while there was a brief moment of concern when he took a tumble behind the baseline in the seventh game, but he quickly brushed it off.

The Greek fans were making themselves heard now, and excitement rippled around Laver when Djokovic missed a routine backhand to offer up his first break point of the match, which was also a set point.

But Tsitsipas was unable to take his opportunity, with Djokovic powering away a forehand at the end of a long rally, and he held to force a tie-break.

Both men struggled to find their best tennis, with Tsitsipas handing Djokovic a 4-1 lead only for the Serbian to give the advantage back, but more errors arrived from the Greek and Djokovic clinched it 7-4.