Saturday, November 27, 2010

The Freedom to Celebrate!

My last post was quite heavy, but hopefully not discouraging. As the holiday season arrives this week, I want to encourage all of you to celebrate with great joy. Embrace and enjoy the freedom you have to celebrate this season!

Growing up military meant that our 'traditions' changed each year. Sometimes we lived much too far from extended family to make the trek northward. Sometimes Dad was deployed and sometimes we joined friends to celebrate the day. Dad has since retired from the Air Force and we have the luxury of establishing some traditions with both my parents and my husband's.

It seems that our society puts quite a lot of pressure on us to create a 'perfect' holiday season for our families. And by 'society' I really mean retailers and others who are looking for a financial profit. I've felt this pressure and, sadly, have fallen into its ugly little trap. With that in mind, let me share a little list I made a week or so ago:

This holiday season, I will...
1. allow myself to say no to any activity, party, event that I don't really, really want to attend. Why run my family ragged running from one party to the next? It's really okay to say no.
2. remind myself that Martha Stewart has an entire staff and exceedingly high budget to create 'the perfect' holiday. She also has a husband who left her and a daughter who very famously dislikes her. I think Martha sort of missed the point.
3. create some fun memories with my little guy even if it leaves flour-y messes on my kitchen floor, decorations a bit askew and a tree with lots of decorations on the bottom, but not so much toward the top.
4. cuddle up on the couch, watch "White Christmas" and drink hot chocolate often.

Don't sacrifice fun memories for holiday 'perfection.' Pop your favorite movie in the dvd player, sing Christmas songs as often as you please, eat too many cookies and make some fabulous memories!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

45 Million

Sunday, Nov 7th was a difficult morning for me. I know it left my husband in a very pensive state as well. We both realized how easy it is for us, as Americans, to be Christians. This wasn't a new revelation, but it just hit us harder this time. I looked into the eyes of an Uzbek woman, who has lost all of her earthly possessions for the cause of Christ, and was brought to tears. I do not think I will soon forget her eyes or the look found in them. My tears partially came from the fact that I did not understand the look in her eyes. Can any of us who are comfortable in our American homes understand? I have never been imprisoned because of my faith nor have I been beaten, nor have I had police come into my home and take all of my possessions, nor have I....the list could become exhaustive. My biggest 'tribulations' are really just irritations.

As American Christians, what is our response? I just don't know. But I do know that the Lord tells us clearly "to whom much is given, much is required." Freedom is MUCH. The freedom to choose the church I want to attend, the freedom to hold Bible studies in my home, the freedom to order/buy any sort of Christian materials I so choose, the freedom to worship with very little fear. Unfortunately it seems that the American church has become complacent and lazy. We are willing to apologize for the hard and fast truths of the Gospel in the name of 'tolerance.' We are willing to pick and choose portions of scripture that aren't politically correct so as not to offend anyone. And yet the only 'persecution' we face for standing on these hard truths comes in the form of words.

Many worldwide organizations (both secular and religious) recognize that between 70-75% of all religious persecution throughout the world is directed at Christians. The other 25-30% is spread among other religions/beliefs. I do not share this with you to make you feel badly about your own freedom. I write this so you will fully appreciate your freedom and understand that it is imperative to stand for the truth of the Gospel- regardless of political correctness.

45 Million. The number of Christians martyred in the 20th century. More than all other centuries combined.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Elisabeth Olson, the non-feminist feminist

One of my favorite former students (Yes, all teachers have favorites, it's a fact of life.) asked me why I am not a feminist. He is always thinking and asking questions. He carefully ponders his own viewpoints and is willing to listen and consider others' views as well. I love this kid! After several weeks of careful thought, here is my answer.

I believe the Bible is completely true. I believe any wisdom that is needed can be found within it's ancient yet relevant pages. It is extraordinarily evident to me that Jesus was very concerned about the mistreated and oppressed. In His day, this included women. We see over and over that Jesus condemned those who desired to embarrass and disgrace women. (See the story of the adulterous woman in John 8:1-11.) The accusers were not interested in disgracing the male involved in this situation, just the woman. Yet, in stark contrast to what was culturally acceptable, Jesus valiantly defended this woman and protected her dignity. The Bible is replete with truths revolving around the Lord defending the oppressed and giving dignity, shelter and protection. From this source, I have formed my own 'women's rights' stand.

First of all, it is important to define what 'women's rights' really are. Do I believe in women's rights? Yes. But my view of women's rights is probably a bit different from the modern feminist's view of women's rights. If I could draw a Venn Diagram of my views vs. a feminist's views, there would be quite a lot in the middle. But the outlying circles would hold some stark differences.

One of my obvious disagreements with the modern feminist movement is the stance on abortion. I find abortion to be a morally repugnant act that is barbaric and violent. Enough said.

My other large disagreement with the tenor of the modern feminist movement is that it seems to downplay the wonderful attributes of womanhood. Should women have equal pay for equal work? ABSOLUTELY. Should women have equal rights? ABSOLUTELY. However, women and men are not equal. As one example, I can carry a child and give birth. My husband cannot. It doesn't matter how much he tries to do so or even wants to do so (Although I'm sure he doesn't want to give birth!), he will never be able to birth a child. But without him, I can't either. Both genders are required, but each of us has a different role. It concerns me that the modern feminist movement has the tone of wanting to do, and sometimes even act, as a man does rather than celebrating and embracing the strengths and specialties of being a woman.

The Bible gives quite a lot of direction for women. The Proverbs 31 woman was quite obviously educated, a strong leader, a manager, a woman with business acumen, a woman who did not "need" a man to take care of her, but chose to share her life with a husband out of desire, not need. Deborah was likewise a woman who was educated, a leader, strong-willed, effective. This list could go on and on. Yes, there are many people who call themselves Evangelical Christians who, I believe, misuse scripture to manipulate and even oppress women. But EC's don't have the monopoly on this problem. There are others who believe that a woman's education, occupation, dignity, freedom, etc is not as important as a man's. Quite obviously, I whole heartedly disagree with these sentiments.

The modern "feminist" movement seems to be quite tunnel-visioned. In my view, it seems there is one way into their "club." Women who are stay-at-home moms certainly cannot be part of this club. In fact, there is a lot of very visceral language against women who choose child-rearing as their vocation. Other more "lowly" vocations seem to catch this disdain as well. It seems to become part of the modern feminist club, one must have an occupation that puts the woman in a position of power over men. Should you not have such a position, you must be oppressed, underpaid and unhappy. Further, I was appalled at how silent the most vocal feminists fell when several prominent conservative women were spoken of in very vile and disgusting ways. Why would a true feminist allow such actions to be ignored? Further, why are these feminists not rushing to places like China, India, Bangladesh, etc and voicing huge concern over the sex-slave industry and the gender-cide that is occurring? This disparity in rhetoric and action is really sad.

The Lord created men and women to be different from one another and yet He created men and women to be complimentary counterparts. I once heard someone say, "Women are superior to men at being women and men are superior to women at being men." We need not strive to be something we are not. We need, as women, to strive to be the best WOMEN we can be.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Three Years

Yesterday I held my infant son and wondered what he would be like at 3 years old. I went to sleep, woke up in the morning and all of a sudden he was 3! These last 3 years have, rather sadly, come and gone in the blink of an eye. Fortunately for his brother-to-be, Jackson sure has taught us quite a lot. Here are a few nuggets of wisdom from his 3 years of training us:
1. When preparing to bring a newborn home, remember that Mylicon/Gripe Water is one of the most essential items in the house.
2. Sometimes the onesie just needs to be thrown away. (If you've ever been around an infant, you know what I mean by this!)
3. ALWAYS have extra diapers and clothes when venturing away from home.
4. When your baby looks as though he is solving a very complex equation you should wait until the look passes. He is not solving an equation and it is best to wait unless you want to clean both him and yourself.
5. When the cat takes off like a shot down the hall, the toddler is squealing with laughter and dry spaghetti noodles are strewn down the hall... you might as well laugh and get the camera!
6. Never miss a moment to look straight into your child's eyes and say, "I love you."
7. Privacy??? What's that? Must be something that is over-rated.
8. The healing power of a Grandpa is quite remarkable.
9. Sometimes it is not a good idea to ask your toddler/preschooler to repeat himself.
10. Grandma serves M&M's for lunch. But you don't need to call and double check. ;)
11. Trips to the grocery store can be highly entertaining. Hopefully you won't see most of those people again.
12. Jesus has band-aids and medicine. Ummm.....thank goodness for the parent's take-home page from Jackson's Sunday School class.

What a fun 3 years we have had with our little man. The word 'thankful' doesn't quite seem to be sufficient, but it will do for now.