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Categories Recap

Recap (5/25/2013)

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Stuff I’ve Read:

  • Blogging Rules that Aren’t Really Rules
    Lisa writes about the “good old days” of blogging, when we blogged what we felt like blogging when we felt like blogging it rather than turning blogging into a business with rules and guilt over not following the rules. I could certainly identify with a lot of her thoughts.

    “Perhaps three or four of the ten of you who read this blog with any degree of regularity will understand when I say I miss the good ol’ days of blogging, you know, back when we traded awards and buttons and memes and participated in weekly carnivals. Maybe my inner cynic is showing but blogging seemed funner then, easier somehow. There were no rules or best practices to follow and certainly no blog experts or or consultants or books or conferences or lists of ranks (yes, there really are all of those things in abundance).

    We all just blogged our blogs apart from any blogger guilt.”

Podcasts Listened to:

  • Prophets of Doom (from Dan Carlin’s “Hardcore History”)
    We listened to this 4 hours long podcast on the way up and back to Kansas City for Daniel’s nieces’ birthday party–and I listened to the rest over my lunch hour over the next couple of days. Carlin tells the fascinating story of a polygamist Anabaptist cult that took over the city of Munster, Germany in the 1500s. It’s probably not a story of interest to everyone, but those who are interested in the history of cults, in medieval warfare, or in torture might find this story interesting. Dan Carlin is, as always, a thoroughly unobjective reporter (that is, he makes no pretense that he likes to interpret history as well as report on it)–which is fine by me so long as one is honest about it.
Categories Politics

I am a Climate Change Agnostic

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Like many conservatives, I have been known to make a crack about “global warming” during a particularly cold day. Like other conservatives, I have remarked on the change in terminology from “global warming” to “climate change”–suspecting that the terminology change is about silencing those “global warming” cracks.

But I don’t know whether or not other conservatives have the same questions and doubts as I regarding the-phenomenon-previously-known-as-global-warming.

You see, I’m not sure about climate change.

I have no doubt that climate change is occurring-the earth’s climate has never been static. Things like sunspots, volcanic eruptions, and ice age cycles have affected earth’s climate for millenia. But I’m not sure about the current conversation regarding climate change. I have questions.

My first question is what sort of climate change is occurring. My second question is what is causing climate change to occur.

I’ve heard apocalyptic tales of oceans rising and knocking off the left coast or flooding New York City. I’ve heard discussion of how world food production will grind to a halt as formerly fertile lands turn into arid deserts. But I’ve never seen the science that indicates at what scale global climate change is occurring.

How much are global temperatures rising per decade? How many degrees does it take to cause x increase in ocean levels? How many degrees does it take for the Midwestern breadbasket to become no longer fertile? I want to know those numbers.

Furthermore, I want to know what exactly is causing global climate change. What does historic data on ice age cycles predict that global temperature should be at this point? How far does current climate differ from what ice age cycles predict? What does historic data on sunspot cycles predict that global temperature should be? How far does current climate differ from what ice age cycles predict? Ultimately, what I want to know is how much of global climate change is due to natural cycles and how much is due to controllable factors?

Why do I want to know this? I want to know this because this has important implications for action. If global climate change is primarily due to natural cycles, action should involve developing technologies to deal with the inevitable change. We must work to either build protections against encroaching water or to move ourselves further inland. We must work to develop additional drought and heat resistant crops or to transfer agricultural industry to newly fertile regions. We must take action to cope with the change that will occur regardless of our actions. Knowing how fast this is occurring will give us a sense of what our deadlines are, how we need to move technology along, what technologies to prioritize.

On the other hand, if global climate change is primarily due to human activity, whether through deforestation or the use of fossil fuels or the raising of methane-producing livestock (heh), then our focus should be on adjusting human activity to maximize the “livability” of the planet.

But instead of answering my questions, stories on climate change sound a lot like a recent episode of “This American Life”. From the tagline:

“After years of being stuck, the national conversation on climate change finally started to shift — just a little — last year, the hottest year on record in the U.S., with Hurricane Sandy flooding the New York subway, drought devastating Midwest farms, and California and Colorado on fire. Lots of people were wondering if global warming had finally arrived, here at home. This week, stories about this new reality.”

In “Hot in My Backyard”, we learn that Colorado’s main climatologist has recently decided to “come out of the closet” that he believes in climate change. The instigating factor? Last year’s wildfires. Which makes for a wonderful story, but not a convincing impetus for decision. One event does not a burden of evidence make. Give me facts, I say. In the second and third parts of the episode, we learn of a Republican and a Democrat who are trying to change the national conversation on climate change–except that they’re skipping my questions and going right to “what we should do”. The Republican is trying to convince conservatives that they should take action on climate change using a carbon tax. The Democrat is trying to stir up old-fashioned (er, 60s-era) social activism to make oil companies a pariah.

I’m open to the idea of climate change. I’m open to the idea that climate change is man-made. I’m willing to discuss making changes to improve the livability of the planet. But I’m not willing to make changes until someone gives me some facts instead of just emotion.

Does anybody know of any fact-based articles, podcasts, books, etc. that can help answer some of my questions?

Anyone?

I am a climate change agnostic who wants to know.

Categories Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday: Events of a Week

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Thankful Thursday bannerSome weeks are ho-hum ordinary weeks where I’m mostly puttering around the house and on our regular activities. And some weeks end up being action-packed with Events. This last week was one such week–but surprisingly ended up being fun and not terribly stressful despite it all.

This week I’m thankful…

…for lunch with my mentor on Thursday
I always enjoy meeting with Bev, but this last week was a special treat. We met at a Chinese place near my work, but got carryout and walked across the street to a picnic table at the park. It was wonderful to sit out in the shade and visit.

H enjoys her first birthday cake

H enjoys her birthday cake

…for a game night Thursday evening
A friend from church hosted a game night. Daniel and I went–as did about a dozen other folks, about half of whom I knew. It was neat to meet some more people and to have a night of laughter.

…for late night sewing on Friday
Since Daniel and I were making our nieces’ birthday gifts for their Saturday birthday party and since we didn’t start on said gifts until a week before said party, we ended up sitting on our couch watching Parks and Rec and desperately stuffing, sewing, and design making rather late into the night. But there’s no one I enjoy working alongside so much as my husband–and I was thrilled to work with him this week.

Daniel, David, and Maria

Daniel and his older siblings

…for a family birthday party on Saturday
We thoroughly enjoyed Miss P and Miss H’s owl-themed birthday party. My sister-in-law Katie definitely knows how to throw a shindig! It was nice to see the family (all of my in-laws except one) and to catch up with Jeremy and Erin (P&H’s uncle and aunt on the other side), who introduced Daniel and I 10 months ago. After the party, most of us went out for barbecue and to look over some houses Daniel’s brother is considering in his house hunt. Altogether, it was a fun day.

Maria with Misses H and P

My sister-in-law Maria with her nieces, Miss P and Miss H

…for a Sunday School barbecue on Sunday
Our Sunday School has been going through a time of transition and we’ve been going out the last few weeks. This week, we met at one couple’s house for a potluck. Or at least, it was supposed to just be a potluck–but one of our number brought fresh-cut Cargill steaks (and a meat thermometer!) to share, so we ended up just potlucking the sides and desserts. The boys played yard games (and then nearly broke a tree getting a ball out of it), we all ate, and then we played a rousing game of Balderdash (which I won!) Fun was had by all.

Grandma and H play with their knees

Grandma and Miss H play with their knees

…for an unexpected basement stay on Sunday afternoon
We had just finished our game of Balderdash when the tornado sirens went off. Since the house we were at didn’t have a basement, Daniel and I rushed home, where we checked the news and decided it was worthwhile to take cover. So we snuck downstairs and cuddled in the spare room (as well as we could when I wanted to be under the covers and Daniel not) while watching the tornado’s path on Daniel’s computer. While it apparently didn’t touch down in town, the tornado did pass just a couple of miles east of us (!) Once the excitement had died down (although the warning was still officially in effect), I fell asleep. Our evening activities (another potluck) were cancelled due to the rain covering the streets in the hosting couple’s neighborhood, so I got a nice long nap in.

…for rest on Monday
I got a whopper of a sunburn at Saturday’s birthday party and was coughing up a storm all day at work on Monday–which meant I was exhausted by the time I got home from work. I cleaned a bit, made supper, and almost fell asleep at the dinner table–sparking my husband to send me to bed while he cleaned up the house some more for our guests the next day. That extra rest was very welcome–especially since the next day meant cleaning galore.

Daniel and Miss H

Miss H plays with Daniel

…for hosting Happy Food on Tuesday
Our usual Tuesday night hosts are in the process of moving, which meant they needed a volunteer to host the dozen (give or take a half dozen) people who show up weekly. After a bit of consideration, Daniel and I volunteered, knowing that it would mean we’d have to do some cleaning. I needed to get all my dishes done so we’d have counter space for all the food people would be bringing–and we needed to clear the living room to get seating for so many. It was a bit of a rushed cleaning job, but we ended up cleaning up the living areas without putting the “back of the house” into disrepair–so the net was positive. And, as always, we had great fun visiting with the dozen who showed up.

Miss H is curious

Miss H is curious about Aunt Rebekah’s camera

…for dinner with a friend on Wednesday
Shortly after Ben arrived, he told us he’d made a surprising discovery: the house he’d just made an offer on was only a few blocks south of us. If he got the house, we’d be neighbors (I warned him I’d be dropping in unexpectedly :-P) After dinner, we took a walk through the beautiful evening down to the house he’s hoping to own soon. He told us a bit about the improvements he’d like to make and we had an altogether delightful evening. It is such a blessing to have friends like him–and I’m thrilled to imagine him as a neighbor as well.

It was indeed a week packed with events; but even more than events, it was packed with people–and I am so thankful for the people God has put in my life, and for how I have opportunity to enjoy them.

Categories Recap

Recap (5/18/2013)

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Stuff I’ve Read:

  • Menter farmstead a historical site
    I have a Google Alert feed set up to notify me whenever a new webpage containing the word “Menter” is catalogued by Google. Recently, I discovered that the Menter farmstead, where my grandpa grew up, is now a registered historical place. Who’da known?

  • What is the Gospel?

    “Just like the word love, we use the word gospel at times freely and careless, rarely asking and answering the question, ‘what is the gospel?’

    …

    It was on that day that I started a journey to absorb everything I could on the subject of the gospel. I approached the question, ‘what is the gospel?’ with fresh eyes and an open heart. I wanted to be awakened again to the radical scandalous grace of God and refreshed by his ferocious love. All of this happened and more.”

    This article reminds me of a friend of mine who teaches at a Catholic high school. Beth once gave her students an assignment based on something she’d heard at a morning mass. “What is the gospel?” she asked. She kept asking that question regularly throughout the semester and included it as extra credit on her final exam. Turns out, despite the priest exulting that the advantage of going to a Catholic school was “we get to talk about the gospel daily”, not a single student could describe what the gospel was. This, of course, gave my friend opportunity to share with her students what the gospel really is.

Books added to my TBR list:

  • And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (reviewed by Jennifer at 5M4B)
    I think I have all three of Hosseini’s books on TBR list now–and I have yet to read any. Shame, shame. Someday…

  • The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb (reviewed by Nancy at 5M4B)
    I always think I’m not a mystery/suspense-type person, but then I read one of these reviews. This story is told partly in the present, partly as a fictionalized manuscript of past events. The format intrigues me–although the “creep you out” aspect may be a bit much for me. We’ll see.

Recipes Tried:

  • Springtime Frittata (from Family Table as published on Serious Eats)
    Springtime Frittata
    This was a very nice Frittata–and it does seem super versatile. Of course, I changed some things. I kept the potato peel on the potato, used Spinach instead of Swiss Chard, skipped the parsley, and used freeze dried chives instead of fresh. I also used 10 whole eggs instead of nine whole eggs plus three yolks and decreased the salt to just the first teaspoon. Despite the decrease in salt, I still thought the finished result was a bit too salty. Maybe the Gruyere adds enough salt that we shouldn’t add any more? My husband thought the whole thing could use some more cheese (but I happen to know that cheese is really his first love, so I tend to pooh-pooh his “more cheese please” requests–you can judge for yourself.)

  • Homemade Barbecue Sauce (from Ree Drummond via Food Network)
    We replaced the Chipotle peppers with 1 tsp of Ground Chipotle Pepper and added about a half can of tomato paste. I thought it was pretty good, but it wasn’t Daniel’s favorite. We’re still searching for a good recipe that he really loves.

  • Asparagus and Tomatoes (from Miracle Skinny Drops)
    Asparagus and Tomatoes
    I didn’t check this website out thoroughly–so don’t take my using their recipe as a recommendation for the site or the product–but this asparagus dish is easy and yummy as promised. I used olive oil instead of coconut or MCT and diced a whole tomato instead of using grape tomatoes. Still, it was pretty decent.

  • Enchilada Casserole
    When I got to making the enchiladas I’d been planning, I realized that while both the hamburger and the enchilada sauce were thawed, I’d forgotten one important ingredient: tortillas. But we had a game night to get to so I couldn’t take the extra time to go shopping. Instead, I made a casserole. I mixed my hamburger/onion/green pepper/black olive mix with some homemade yogurt cheese (from a batch of yogurt that went a bit sour). I spread that on the bottom of a 9×13, spread my enchilada sauce on top, and covered it all with cheese. Then I whipped up some cornmeal biscuits, added a little extra liquid so they’d be droppable, and dropped the biscuits on top. I baked the whole mix at 375 until the biscuits were done (about 20 minutes) and…wouldn’t you know? We ended up liking it.

Projects Done:

  • Sock Monkey (from Craft Passion)
    Miss H with Sock Monkey
    We made a pink and gray Sock Monkey for Daniel’s niece’s first birthday. The cutting out was a cinch, the stuffing rather not. Our final product ended up a bit weird, but okay enough that I’d try again. H seemed to enjoy chewing on it (of course.)

  • Tanagram Type Puzzle (from There is Beauty all Around)
    Tanagram-Type puzzle
    Daniel and I made this game as a gift for his niece’s fourth birthday. I cut and sewed, Daniel turned and designed–and within a week, we had 42 game pieces and about a dozen sample designs in a glossy booklet for our niece to try. I hope she enjoys it–Daniel and I sure enjoyed playing with it before we gave it to her :-)
    Miss P with Tanagram Puzzle

Categories Family & Friends, Following Christ

What I pray for your children

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If you are one of my siblings or one of my bloggy friends, I pray for you and for your children. Approximately once a week, your name pops up on my phone and, generally while I’m cleaning the toys in my office, I pray for you. If you have expressed a particular request or if I’ve deduced one from what you’ve written, I’ll pray for that; but otherwise, I pray a very specific sort of prayer.

I do not pray for your children to be obedient.

Obedient, manageable children are nice to have, easy to care for. But that isn’t what I want for you or for them.

Obedience and manageability can mask inward apathy or rebellion. Obedience and manageability can convince a child that they’re a “good kid”. They can begin to rely upon their “good kid” status. They can begin to work hard to maintain their “good kid” status. Someday, they may rebel against their “good kid” status.

I don’t pray for them to obedient. They need something more.

They need Jesus.

Even so, I do not pray for your children to love Jesus.

Many a child who “loves Jesus”–who delights to sing Bible songs, who loves to go to Sunday School, who tells his friends about Jesus–grows up to be an adult who rejects the faith.

“Loving Jesus” is often a cultural thing, about speaking the lingo of the church, singing the songs of the church, acting the way church people do.

But just like the children of hippies turned yuppie and the children of yuppies turned hipster, the children of Christianity often turn atheist or agnostic or non-practicing nothings.

I don’t pray for the to “love Jesus”. They need something more.

You see, I don’t want your children to just love Jesus, like they love their favorite toy, I want them to know Jesus.

And I don’t want your children to just know Jesus, I want them to know Jesus savingly.

And if they are to know Jesus savingly, they must know that they are depraved.

For that reason, I pray that your children would recognize their sinfulness.

I pray that they would be acutely aware of their inability to live up to God’s standard.

I pray that they would recognize the futility of their works to ever change their status.

I pray that they would fall wholly upon the mercy of God in the person of Christ.

That, my friends, is what I pray for your children.

Categories Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday: In various stages of completion

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Thankful Thursday bannerThis week seems to be the week for finishing projects, for making progress on projects, for starting projects. It has been remarkably productive (despite the allergies that have me hacking up a lung.)

This week I’m thankful…

…for Daniel’s project turned in
Have I mentioned how relieved I am to have this done and in? With that project done and his final taken in the other class, we now have two more evenings free–and much more time since Daniel won’t have homework again until fall. Yippee!

…for a book read, reviewed, and returned
I didn’t realize when I picked up A Year of Biblical Womanhood that it was only a two week loan period. Once I became aware, I dug into it with gusto–and managed to read, review and return it in just ten days (while trying to help Daniel with his project and keep the house in order–I may be returning to my reading groove.)

…for a crafted gift started during an afternoon with a friend
Ruth ended up being in town this weekend, thanks to schedule changes (she has a crazy insane travel schedule) and we arranged to get together. I brought along the fabric for a gift Daniel and I are making for one of our niece’s birthdays–and managed to get all the cutting done. The only thing better than having the cutting done (I *hate* that step) is having done it while chatting with a good friend.

…for progress made on my ongoing gardening project
I started making raised beds in our backyard for a vegetable garden, what? A month and a half ago? Now, for at least a couple of weeks, the concrete block bed has been sitting there waiting to be filled. This week, I finally had four cubic yards of compost delivered and got busy filling the bed.

…for small steps in settling the office
Since I switched the two bedrooms upstairs, Daniel’s old room (which we’ve designated the office) has been full of boxes and whatever else I didn’t have a place for anywhere. This last week, I’ve been able to make some small steps–finally combining some of our office materials (tape, staples, pens, etc.) into a central place. It’s small, but it is progress.

…for a basement transformation begun
The basement has two partitioned rooms (one which we’re designating as my craft room, another which we’re calling the guest room) and a large unfinished utility space. The utility space is currently filled with wood, tools, my Christmas stuff, an old ceiling fan, and countless other unnamed objects–in addition to the furnace, hot water heater, washer and dryer, and deep freeze. We also have a line hung across one side of the room for drying clothes. Unfortunately, there’s enough junk around that line that long clothes often end up getting dusty/dirty during the process. I’ve had a dream of transforming one barren corner into a laundry area–with a table for folding, my couple of drying racks for delicates that can’t be hung, and a couple of clotheslines placed so there’s little chance of getting things dirty. This week, I started cleaning out that corner, got the table and one drying rack in place, and removed a fixture from the ceiling that would be in the way of my proposed clothesline. Yay!

…for a promise of fulfillment

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

~Philippians 1:6

One day, the long work of sanctification, begun when Christ saved me, will at last be complete. On the day when Christ appears, I shall be like Him, having seen Him as He is.

In this, I have hope to continue on in this walk of sanctification.

Categories Homemaking

Settling into our room

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When we moved me down to Wichita, Daniel was sleeping in the bedroom next to the bathroom–the one with a door to the backyard in it. He had a queen sized bed, a chest of drawers that was missing most of its handles, a little plastic chest of drawers, and a laundry hamper.

We cleared the room next door for my scads of boxes.

We’d decided fairly quickly that we’d use that room, isolated from pipes that make noise and from doors to the outdoors, as our bedroom–so I made switching the two rooms one of my first priorities.

That put what furniture he and I had into position.

About two weeks before our wedding (when I started thinking about my move into the house), I decided it was time that I made the bed properly.

Now, four and a half months since my move to Wichita (and two months since my move into Betsy), our bedroom is starting to feel like a real bedroom.

Our bed now sports my hope chest quilt–the quilt I started when I was fourteen and didn’t finish until I was 24 (ish). The nightstands we purchased with wedding gifts are now positioned on either side of the bed. And the contemplated headboard has failed to materialize and spare dollars have been reallocated to paying back my school loans–which means I guess I’d better get searching DIYs on Pinterest if I really want a headboard.

Bedroom

The dresser I’d used in Columbus now sits next to my closet door–and contains Daniel’s clothing. At first, he’d asked me if I had any extra dresser space available that he could use–but the more I looked at HIS dresser, the more I became convinced that it should not be used in our bedroom. Half of the time I couldn’t even open the drawers.

Bedroom

I finally mounted the shelf my friend Kathy gave me at my shelf party a couple of years ago (back when I had determined that I was past hope of marrying.) Above it, I arranged my collection of blueware.

Bedroom

Against the next wall, my quilt rack boasts a quilt from my great-aunt (on the back), my “egg blankie” (a small crocheted blanket made for me by a woman from our church when I was a baby”, and the lovely quilt my Mom and sisters made for Daniel and I for our wedding. Since I have both my hope chest quilt and my wedding quilt, I alternate which one I have on the bed every couple of weeks. (Actually, the wedding quilt is currently on the bed-it’s been a couple of weeks since I took these photos.)

Bedroom

The final corner of our bedroom contains my dresser, with my jewelry board and our hamper beside it. The big bare wall will eventually hold something–but I’m waiting until we finish our entertainment center for the living room before I do too much hanging of pictures. Until that piece of furniture is done and in place, I’m not sure exactly what I’ll want where. So, for now, I wait.

Bedroom

It’s not completely done, but it is starting to look settled. Like a home instead of a dorm room. It’s wonderful to have a haven of rest in the midst of our still-settling-in-house.

Categories Book Reviews

“A Year of Biblical Womanhood” by Rachel Held Evans

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Since the publication of announcement of Rachel Held Evans’ year-long project attempting to live as a “Biblical woman”, criticisms have been flying strong through the interwebs. The evangelical camp to which I belong (complementarian Biblical literalists) has been highly critical of Evans’ project, and of her published book. They have argued that Evans treats complementarianism unfairly and that Evans’ approach to the Bible undermines the “truthfulness and sufficiency and relevance of the Bible”.

I agree.

Evans frequently mischaracterizes the complementarian position; and, while she critiques many conservative interpretations of Scripture related to womanhood, she never sets forth any system for properly interpreting Scripture–which means that she ends up encouraging the reader to take a lower-than-fully-inspired view of Scripture (Kathy Keller’s review addresses this in more depth).

On the other hand, I enjoyed this book and found myself frequently “Mmm-hmm”ing along with Evans’ conclusions.

How is this?

I knew from the outset that there were going to be plenty of disagreements between Evans and me. I knew that she has crossed the divide between conservative and liberal Scriptural interpretation. But I like memoirs, and I like projects, and I like reading things from perspectives other than my own.

I approached this book, then, in the same way as I approached A.J. Jacobs’ A Year of Living Biblically. I approached it as an amusement read, something which may be used to hone and deepen my convictions or may just be something to go “Huh” at.

While I disagreed with plenty of what Evans had to say, I found myself nodding along as she concluded each month of her year focusing on a different trait of “Biblical womanhood”.

At the end of the month on Gentleness:

“Mastering a gentle and quite spirit didn’t mean changing my personality, just regaining control of it, growing strong enough to hold back and secure enough to soften. What they forgot to tell us in Sunday School is that the ‘gentle and quiet spirit’ Peter wrote about is not, in fact, an exclusively feminine virtue, but is elevated throughout the New Testament as a trait expected of all Christians.

Within the chapter on beauty:

“Both husbands and wives bear the sweet responsibility of seeking beauty in one another at all stages of life. No one gets off the hook because the other is wearing sweatpants or going bald or carrying a child or battling cancer. Any pastor who claims the Bible says otherwise is lying. End of story.

At the end of the chapter on modesty:

“There are women for whom the bonnets and aprons foster humility and women for whom the same things foster pride. That’s because true modesty has little to do with clothing or jewelry or makeup. The virtue that is celebrated in Scripture is so elusive we struggle to find words to capture its spirit…

And so we codify. We legislate. We pull little girls to the front of the class and slap rulers against their bare legs and try to measure modesty in inches…. We cling to the letter because the spirit is so much harder to master.

More often than not, this backfires, and our attempts to be different result in uniformity, our attempts to be plain draw attention to ourselves, our attempts to temper sexuality inadvertently exploit it, and our attempts to avoid offense accidentally create it.

Perhaps this is why Paul encouraged women to ‘adorn themselves’ with good deeds, why he instructed all Christians, ‘Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ’, and why the valorous woman of Proverbs 31 is praised because she ‘clothes herself in strength and dignity.’

It’s not what we wear but how we wear it.

And like clothing, modesty fits each woman a little differently.”

At the close of the chapter on purity:

“There was a message behind these healings [in which Jesus touched unclean individuals], and it sounded throughout…the world: When God became human, when he wrapped himself in our blood and skin and bones, his first order of business was to touch the ones that we would not touch, to fellowship in our sufferings, and to declare once and for all that purity is found not in the body, but in the heart.”

In the chapter on fertility:

“As a Christian, my highest calling is not motherhood; my highest calling it to follow Christ. And following Christ is something a woman can do whether she is married or single, rich or poor, sick or healthy, childless or Michelle Duggar.”

Yes, I definitely agreed with a lot of her thoughts on the spirit behind the law–whether or not I agree with her on the value of keeping the letter of the law (or why one might be or not be bound to follow the law.)

Do I recommend this book?

Sure, but with the encouragement to read critically but not judgmentally. Enjoy Evans’ escapades, laugh at her turns of phrase–and critically evaluate her interpretations.

Rating:4 Stars
Category:Project Memoir
Synopsis:Evans describes her year of trying to take the Bible as literally as possible in regards to womanhood.
Recommendation: Go ahead and read it. Enjoy her experiences and critically evaluate her Biblical interpretations.

Categories My Beloved Daniel

In which I make my sister a liar

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This is the next installment in a rather long series about how Daniel and I met–and have become engaged. Click on the “Our Story” tag for context.

It being a Wednesday evening, my parents were busy with church. Which meant I couldn’t really tell them about my engagement any earlier than Thursday night. Which meant I couldn’t really tell anyone about my engagement until after Thursday night.

It wouldn’t be fair to have anyone else know before my parents.

As I was driving back to Columbus from Kansas City, I received a text from my friend Ruth. “Will you be at Bible Study tonight? I have something to tell you.”

I wasn’t sure what time I’d be getting back in to town, but I promised I would come as soon as I got there.

It turned out that I rolled into Columbus almost exactly at 8, when Bible Study began. I drove right to Kathy’s house, interested in hearing what Ruth would have to say.

Interestingly, Ruth was not yet there–but the rest of the girls were eager to hear my story.

One of the girls was new to our study and hadn’t even known I was dating anyone. One of the girls had only heard up to the point where Daniel and I were about to meet in person for the first time. And then there were plenty who knew the story up until my trip to Kansas City/Philadelphia, but who were nevertheless curious to hear what had gone down during my trip.

They insisted I start at the beginning, catching up those who needed to be caught up, while the girls who were further along went across the street to retrieve I-don’t-remember-what from our friend Jon’s house.

Eventually, the rest of the girls returned–and Ruth showed up.

As I told my story, several of the girls punctuated every paragraph with a question.

“So, when are you going to get engaged?”

I ignored their questions and kept blazing on with my story–sans the engagement part, of course.

My sister was less willing to ignore the engagement question and finally interjected.

“She isn’t engaged. She can’t get engaged yet. Daniel hasn’t even met our family!”

I ignored her comment and kept going with my story.

Ruth interjected her own question every couple of paragraphs.

“So, when are you moving to Wichita?”

By the time she got to her own announcement, I felt sure I knew what she would say–and I was right.

Ruth’s company had decided to relocate her. They wanted her to move to their main offices–in Wichita, Kansas.

I responded to her announcement awkwardly, unsure of how to respond exactly. She was moving, but she wouldn’t be moving away from me. She was moving the same place I’d be moving–but I couldn’t let anyone know that I’d be moving there because I couldn’t let anyone know that I was engaged yet.

And so I lied silently–and made my sister a liar as well.

Categories Family & Friends

Snapshot: Mothers

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My mother was indispensable in wedding planning. From the reception site to the cake to making salads to altering my dress, her hand was all over our wedding.

Nevertheless, I didn’t even think to have her there to help me dress. (Shame, shame.)

Thankfully, my photographer did think, so I gave my mom a call and she quickly got dressed in her fancies and made her way over to the church (she’d just been picking up the rolls from the bakery, of course.)

My mother helping lace up my dress

I’m glad she was there to celebrate with us that my brother and sister-in-law and niece had arrived. I’m glad she was there to help lace up the back of my dress. I’m glad she was there to show my sister (also my maid of honor) how to bustle up the dress.

But even had she not been there at those exact moment, my mom has faithfully been there whenever I needed her.

Me and my mother

I didn’t see my brother Timothy escort my mother up the aisle, but I have pictures to see my mother make the way up–her first time as mother of the bride.

My mother walking up the aisle

I also didn’t see my mother and my mother-in-law-to-be mount the stage to light their respective candles. But I have pictures of them returning.

My mother and mother in law lighting the unity candle

I do remember greeting my new mother-in-law with a hug in the receiving line. I remember hugging the woman who has welcomed me so well into her family.

My mother

This year, for the first time, I am blessed to have two wonderful women to honor on Mothers’ Day.

Both of these women have blessed me immeasurably–one in raising me in the fear of the Lord and the other in raising my husband in that same fear.

May we ever rise up and call her blessed.

“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”
~Proverbs 31:29-31 (ESV)

We are their works, my husband and I. May we ever bring them praise.

Surely, they deserve it.