The optometrist called this morning and told me that my glasses were in. Jon and I went to go get them before heading to the churches to do chores and they’re really nice.
Monthly Archives: February 2004
Edda Puss
My most beautiful black cat Edda has been having bloody noses lately so we took her to the vet on Monday. She was the example of sweetness to the vet, only complaining when they took her temperature. (Wouldn’t you complain if they shoved a thermometer up — never mind.) She was patient on the way home as the trip was prolonged by us sitting in a few ditches while we waited for AAA to arrive to tow us out (or, in the last case, a good samaritan offered to give “the kitty and its mommy” a lift back to town while “Daddy” waited for the tow truck.) She takes her antibiotics joyfully and is repentant when she sneezes blood all over me.
Well… I got home from church today and she was acting strangely. She was very playful this morning (as is her normal custom) and right now, she’s nuzzling everything in sight, chirping, and sitting with her butt in the air. I called my mother-in-law who explained to me that she’s in heat. Oh joy. Too bad my stallions were decajoned last year! They’re giving her a wide berth and I think they’re a little afraid of her right now. I think they’re secretly glad that she and Freya are going to be spayed on March 8th.
Anyone want to tell me how long she’s going to be this way?
**Update: She’s doing somersaults and various acrobatic moves that I didn’t even know were possible for a cat. My boys are very confused. Cullen tackled her on the bed and bathed her earlier (which always seems to calm Freya) and that actually calmed her enough for her to nap. (Then again, she’s a cat — they sleep 14/7.) Her cooing isn’t all that annoying — in fact, it’s almost comical to watch her.**
I Think They Need To Re-Light The Pilot Light in Hades
Bill O’Reilly now skeptical about the Bush administration.
I think hell has officially frozen over now.
(Thanks for the link, Chris!)
Interview Meme… Again!
Questions from Krissy:
1.) You??ve moved around quite a bit in the last five or so years. Of the places you??ve lived, which has been your favorite? Why?
Probably Santa Cruz because it’s where I really came into myself as the person I am. It was where I fully lived out my faith for the first time, where I struggled with a lot of major issues, and where I fell really in love with the land. I still miss the oceans, the redwoods, the climate, the atmosphere, Bookshop Santa Cruz, the coffeeshops, the people, the fog, my churches, and the mountains. I want to visit the next time I’m home-home (as in San Jose instead of just California) but I have no idea when that will be.
Ohio was kind of a transitory time for me and it was really culture shock because the people are so different from me. It’s very strange being in a state where people like Bush and where Republicans run everything. (I actually voted Republican pretty universally while there — the Democrats tend to be a little too left-wing and mob-controlled.) I like Minnesota so far, but I’ve only really lived here for two months — not enough time to judge.
2.) What do you like best about being a khouria? What do you like the least?
(For those of you who are really puzzled by this, a khouria is a pastor’s wife. It’s the Syrian Orthodox term for it which I adopted because pastorina is too flowery and I’m not a vicarette any more. I also really like that the Orthodox have a title for the pastor’s wife because she has a ministry of her own.)
The best thing is that I get afforded a whole lot more respect than I’d probably get if I was just a 24 year old laywoman. The people here aren’t nasty or anything but it’s kind of nice to ask that something be done and have it done with almost no questions asked. I have the freedom to involve myself in whatever I want to involve myself in and I think people actually listen to my input more than they would if I was just a regular layperson. After going through some times in my Christian life when I was voiceless in what happened in the Christian groups and churches that I was part of, I really like having a voice in how things are done.
The hardest thing is that I get held up to a higher standard because I get so much respect. Most people in the congregation are really nice about letting me be me but my actions are scrutinized. This means that I have to watch what I say and do, because any mispoken word is going to cause some big problems. In the minds of a lot of the older people, I’m on par with clergy (which does have its benefits) and it means that people unnecessarily bend over backwards to accomodate me. For example, Jon and I were out visiting some older members (one of whom was recovering from a heart attack) and they asked us to stay for dinner. They gave us frozen pizza (which was really great because Jon’s vice is cheese pizza) and the wife was apologizing to me that the house was a mess, that dinner wasn’t fancier, and for a whole bunch of other things that were completely out of her control. I was thinking “OK… your husband is recovering from a week in the hospital and we showed up completely unexpectedly — we’re very OK with frozen pizza if that’s what you had on hand!” Jon and I are really not fancy people and it’s kind of embarassing to have people falling at our feet because we happen to be the pastor and pastor’s wife. I mean, we were just there to give Communion to her husband — dinner was kind of a surprise to us too. (We got there at 4 and didn’t get home until 9 because they insisted on socializing for a spell.)
Another hard thing about this is that people think that I have a lot more power than I have and that I know everything that is going on. I may be married to Jon but it doesn’t mean that I know everything that’s happening at each church in a given week. This also means that if someone isn’t at church to do something (teach Sunday school, hand out bulletins, accompany the WELCA hymn-sing,…) it passes to me and I can’t always fill those roles. I don’t have a problem handing out bulletins but I have worship duties at both churches right now, which means that I can’t teach Sunday school. As for accompanying the hymn-sing, let’s just say that my piano-playing abilities are remaining under a bushel basket for the time being and leave it at that!
3.) If you had a perfect day in which to do absolutely anything you wanted, how would you spend it?
This is hard because I’m fond of my everyday life — things vary so much that I tend not to get sick of my life.
It would probably be spent having laptime with my kitties in bed in the morning (since all 4 have excellent motors and are very good at snuggling), spending some time outdoors (maybe at Lac qui Parle when spring comes), getting a lot of work done on my crocheting, and eating dinner at one of the places in town that makes really good diner food.
Another perfect one would be spending some time with the people of the churches doing something like VBS or a workday. Despite being very introverted, I love working with people and the people at Jon’s churches are really super cool. It would give me fellowship time and also time outside. (It’s February in Minnesota. I’m starting to get cabin fever.)
4.) What will you name your next set of kitties?
I’m not going to know that until I meet them. Each kitty is very different and their name has to match their personality. Edda is a very mellow and bookish kind of cat, so it fits that she’s named after a genre of literature. Freya is a little berzerker but at the same time very affectionate, so she fits her namesake well. (Freyja is the Viking goddess of love.) Cullen just looks like he should be a Cullen and Finian’s episcopal namesake fits the regalness of his looks.
As far as the cat we’ll adopt next, it will probably be another tabby since we’re very fond of them. (We joke that Edda is a tabby who played in ink or with a Sharpie pen. Freya is a white cat with tabby splotches and the boys are red tabbies. Jon calls Freya his “tabbage patch” cat.) I think Tabitha or Abbie would be good for a girl. A male tabby might be Daniel (as in Daniel Striped Tiger from “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood”) or Tybalt. We’ll have to see.
5.) What is your favorite Loreena McKennitt song? How did you get introduced to her music?
I like almost all of her stuff so I don’t have any absolute favorites. I’d have to say that my current favorites are:
I got into her music 11.5 years ago when my mom heard her on NPR and bought her current tape (The Visit). I got really addicted to it because it’s Celticy (at least that CD was) and her music is written in my range. I saw her in concert in December 1994 and it’s still one of the top concerts I’ve been to. (I am really irritated that I didn’t get to see her in San Francisco in 1998 — I was either in Ireland or being treated for walking pneumonia at the time.) (Someone on my blogroll actually knows her through a friend and I am very jealous of them.) I love her music because it’s basically a creative outlet for her scholarly interests — she even includes wonderful notes on the songs in her liners.
If you??d like to take part in this meme:
* Leave a comment on this post requesting an interview.
* I??ll ask you five questions.
* You??ll answer the questions in a public post to your journal, including these instructions (or ones like them).
The Problems of the MegaChurch Movement
**Yes, I am using a FOXNews article. I still despise any network stupid deluded enough to put people like Ann Coulter, Bill O’Reilly, and Hannity/Colmes on the air. It does, however, show some of the fallacies of the megachurch movement.**
I suggest reading the article before reading my comments. (Article via Theosebes)
Don’t get me wrong — it’s good that churches are growing and all. The problem is that the churches are glossing over the whole message of sin to “give people a boost for the week.” According to Joel Osteen who pastors Lakewood Church (whose website is in deep need of the ministry provided by the good folks at HealYourChurchWebsite.Com):
“…for years there’s been a lot of hellfire and damnation. You go to church to figure out what you’re doing wrong and you leave feeling bad like you’re not going to make it. We believe in focusing on the goodness of God.”
Ummm… can we say “forgetting the Gospel”? Apparently, Osteen is forgetting that Christ was sent to save us from our sins, not to make us feel all warm and fuzzy. Sin is a serious issue. We can’t gloss over it just because it makes people feel bad. Jesus was not about giving people warm fuzzies. Jesus was all about reconciling people with God — a process that is not full of happy and joyous occasions but instead is gut-wrenching and emotional in many cases. A church that merely gives its people warm fuzzies is doing more to hinder their spiritual development than promote it.
A re-iteration of the problem:
“It’s not a churchy feel. We don’t have crosses up there. We believe in all that, but I like to take the barriers down that have kept people from coming. A lot of people who come now are people that haven’t been to church in 20 to 30 years.”
Maybe it’s the Lutheran in me, but… ISN’T IT ALL ABOUT THE CROSS?!?!?!?!?!?!? Yes, the crosses make people feel uncomfortable — THEY SHOULD!!!! Someone endured pain and suffering and agony for their sins — it shouldn’t be simply a warm fuzzy feeling!!!! If the crosses are a barrier to people coming to church, I’d say these people have more barriers that need to be taken down before they can even talk about the crosses. These churches are places where people can go and hide, not face the issues that are barriers to reconciliation with the Lord.
Another completely grating thought:
Some Lakewood qualities that appeal to a younger set are “the best lighting and the best sound system,” a youth ministry program that attracts hundreds, and every service kicks off with 30 minutes of upbeat contemporary music — not hymns — played by a live band.
If you’re going to choose a church based on their sound and lighting system, I’d really reconsider your motives for even attending church. “Entertainment evangelism” (a term coined by the pastor of a church that falsely claims to be Lutheran) is doing more harm than good to the faith. We’ve got a generation that wants to be entertained and churches are bending over backwards to do that. Newsflash: that’s not the Gospel.
My confirmation kids have to do two sermon notes a month (which is more relaxed than I’d be — if it was my call, it would be *EVERY* Sunday) and the music questions are “of the hymns we sang today, which one did you like best?” and “what did you like best about it?” I do get answers like “it was the only one that was familiar” but much of the time, the kids give me some pretty interesting reflections on the words. Their favorite by far is “Amazing Grace” (not unexpected) but they also like some of the more unique ones like “Built on a Rock” and “Thy Strong Word” and the ideas conveyed by them. Compared to some of the worship music out today that is insipid at best and could best be described as “Jesus is my boyfriend” music, the older hymns are theological masterpieces. They convey messages of faith succinctly and poetically and are a form of evangelism in themselves. I’m not saying that all contemporary worship music is bad — there are some good ones out there and I have served on many worship teams where we sing them. It’s just that a lot of the worship music coming out has the “rah rah Jesus” feel to it and that’s not the way Christ was. That kind of music would have been more appropriate if Christ had ridden into Jerusalem as the triumphant conquering king and kicked the Romans out. Praise the Lord that His mission was something else!
Dealing with the “Jesus, Protect Me from Your Followers” Mentality
***This entry is in response to this entry on Mike and Kristen’s blog where Mike talks about non-Christians who like Jesus but hate Christians. I’m responding here so that I don’t take up lots of space in their comment section.***
Mike wrote the following:
This postmodern world is driving me mad. You can’t go anywhere near an evangelist (or anything of the sort) without hearing something along the lines of non-christians liking Jesus but hating Christians.
This drives me mad.
I imagine goats saying to each other: “Man, that’s one cool Shepherd, but his sheep stink.” “Yeah man, they suck. I don’t want to hang out with them.”
My response: “You know what?! You suck too!! Come and join up with the sheep who stink and suck. You fit in FINE!”
I hate to say this Mike but… it’s not totally a pomo theory — it’s something I heard frequently from my non-Christian friends in college. There were a lot of people who either saw some really catty behavior from people in church, had Christians get in their face for soul winning purposes, or saw examples of intolerance from people claiming to be Christian (example: the “people” from Westboro Baptist Church). It drives me mad because these people will say that the violent people who cause mayhem at WTO protests don’t represent the protesters but… they refuse to make the connection that not all Christians are vicious, nasty, hateful, catty people.
My main group of friends in college was not overwhelmingly Christian and I spent my first year of college having to defend my faith to them. During my second year, someone actually made the comment “Jen, you’re not like other Christians — you’re nice.” It was hard to hear (since I knew that a lot of my Christian brothers and sisters were just as nice if not more so than I) but I was thankful that they knew they could be real with me about their frustrations. There were a lot of ministry opportunities that I got because people needed someone religious to talk to but didn’t want to be preached at about how evil and sinful they were. My friend Melissa was the same way and I think the Lord worked some good things through the two of us because we were willing to listen to people’s frustrations about how they had been treated.
This raises some interesting points about how we deal others. Firstly, our movements are scrutinized because we are Christian. There are people who are always looking to criticize us because they expect us to be nasty people; but there are also people who might be seeking and who are looking at us to see what Christians are like. I know that as a seeker, the example of my neighbor was a positive thing — she practiced what she preached and that really was an influential factor in my conversion. The people who got in my face about my lack of faith were really a deterrent — there is a huge difference between “speaking the truth in love” and being in my face so that my conversion will win you brownie points with God. (Ask me why I think “soul-winning” is a stupid practice.)
Secondly, we have to realize that as representatives of the faith, there is a fair amount of apologetic stuff that we have to do. Some people are smart enough to distinguish between true Christianity and the behavior of some of our most vocal members (Pat Robertson, for example *shivers*); but others aren’t, and we need to be aware of this. I frequently had to say stuff like “I’m sorry that ___________ traumatized you but that doesn’t mean that I’m like that” when people would tell me about really bad experiences they had in church, when people would conduct “soul winning” missions on them, or when people treated them badly at other times. It probably sounds stupid, but you need to validate people’s frustrations even if it’s not directed at you. If you don’t admit that they do have a right to be frustrated, you’re basically saying that the purported wrong was never committed. The key is getting them to move on from it and to see that not all Christians are nasty/in people’s faces/hateful and that the Bible does not condone such behavior.
Thirdly, we have to deal with the remainder of the problem which *is* postmodernism — I swear that I will cover the next person who tells me that “it’s all relative” with honey and tie them to a tree in Alaska, letting them deal with some grizzly bears. Mainline Christianity (my own denomination included) is guilty of this inasmuch as they preach a Gospel of inclusion. It’s kind of like they see the situation as black and white with one solution being to completely exclude people in sinful lifestyles while the other is to say that some things aren’t sin in order to get people into church. As Gerhard Forde has said, “[we] have failed to take sin seriously.” Yes, Jesus hung out with the sinners and tax-collectors but He also encouraged them to leave their lives of sin and be reconciled with God.
Getting back to the problem of pomo schtuff, a lot of people think that Jesus was just a really cool teacher. I mean, Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims believe that Jesus existed — that doesn’t mean that they are saved because they don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God and died in atonement for their sins. Jesus *did* say some really cool things but we need to get people to understand that these were not just pearls of wisdom, but instead part of His salvific plan. Yes, there are some pretty hard teachings in the Bible; but they exist for a reason and we need to get people to work with those passages and struggle with them because understanding generally comes from that struggle.
Lastly, we need to keep in mind that we are how people are going to image Christ. I think it was Lewis Smedes who said that of 100 people “99 will read the Christian”. (Someone who has read What’s So Amazing About Grace, could you please let me know if it’s the right person and right quote?) Yes, this puts undo pressures on us and we shouldn’t be judging by outward appearances but… if we show that we have a power not of ourselves in our lives that helps us to treat people with dignity and survive the obstacles thrown in our path, we will truly preach Christ to a broken world that needs His healing.
I’m Blind, Whiny, Headachy, and Light Sensitive
Please sing the title of this post to the tune of “I’m Alive, Awake, Alert, Enthusiastic”. The management thanks you.
I dragged myself out from under my purring lumps of fur (especially the purring lump of black satin on my chest) this morning, did devos (again… Jen did morning devos — someone call CNN!!!), and put on as many layers as I could to brave the elements and walk 8 blocks to my eye doctor. (And yes, I’m too stubborn and Irish to call someone for a ride, so being cold is my own fault.) The exam was a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being invasive painful procedure and 10 being a routine check up) and they had to dilate my eyes because I couldn’t keep them open for him to just do the normal check with lights. (I’m really light-sensitive as most people who have lived with me can attest to. My freshman roommate asked me frequently if I had some vampire blood in me.) So… I look like I’m stoned as my pupils haven’t gone back to normal yet. It turns out that my astigmatism has worsened exponentially, so I indeed do require a new prescription. During the exam, my eyes started doubling things (probably the machine’s fault) and I think this confused the optometrist. That normally doesn’t happen even when my eyes relax, so I’m wondering what was up.
I ordered the glasses and they’re going to be about $55 more than the refund check from our old insurance company (which I wasn’t expecting to get so this isn’t too bad for us to afford). The new ones are going to be similar to what I had in college except the frames are more of a toasted almond color. They’re going to be bifocals again and thankfully the optical place in town will warranty them so that they’ll fix any problems with my prescription since the doctor admitted it was going to be a strange one. They gave me the little dark funky glasses for my walk home and it was probably a good thing because it was blowing snow and they provided pretty good eye protection. (I had my hooded parka tightened around my face so that I looked like I was a niqabi woman.) Jon got home shortly after I did and we went to the store to get food, stopping by UBC to let one of our treasurers know that we both got home OK. We then found out that her grandson was born this morning — yay!!!!
Now… I get to go quickly prep some lessons for Confirmation. It’s my BIG class (Jon took my first year students) so say prayers that I can make it through. I also have to address council tonight (which is meeting in our living room). Oyyyyy… I’ll be happy when the day is over.