The world is too much with us

2009-06-14T17:45:00.000-05:00

I would love one of these.

MADSEN Cargo Bikes

Why are so called feminists attacking breastfeeding?

2009-04-24T10:04:00.005-05:00

Why is breastfeeding under attack? Here's a good article that rebuts a recent Atlantic article that has garnered so much unwarranted attention. Even if you are not particularly interested in breastfeeding, it is worth reading this article about the backlash against breastfeeding just for the last three paragraphs which address the failure of American feminism in supporting mothers.

Don't think that American feminism is betraying mothers? Read this quote and tell me why a well known feminist leader like Bonnie Erbe would dare to tell mothers to hide in a dirty bathroom or in their stereotypical mini-vans for the one to two plus years that woman should breastfeed.

"Now, on the other end of the wacko perspective, comes this missive
from the West Coast. Last week, women held a "mass nurse-in" in
(sorry, but where else?) Berkeley, Calif. .... I'm all for breast-feeding. But breast-feeding in public? Call
me a Luddite. It makes me queasy. Please, go for it. But in the
privacy of your home, a public bathroom or perhaps even your van."

Unfortunately the story from which this quote was taken is no longer available online. So you only get this tiny peak into how nasty so-called feminists like Ms. Erbe can be to mothers.

Yuck. That's all I can say. Go read this article. Because American women deserve better.

Dora dumps science and exploration to become yet another bulimic fashionista

2009-03-19T19:46:00.005-05:00

Editorial: Dora the Ex-Explorer by Susan Linn

When Nickelodeon launched its hit animated series, Dora the Explorer, ten years ago, women all over the country cheered. Dora was a great model for little girls. She was feisty, smart, devoted to math and science—and a bilingual child of color to boot. Never mind that her image was used to push everything from burgers to backpacks. That she is a strong, positive role model is often cited as proof that, despite its commercialism, Nick is a force for good in modern childhood.

The limits of relying on market forces to produce positive models for little girls were made painfully obvious recently when Nickelodeon and Mattel announced the launch of a new Dora doll and virtual world. The little science loving spitfire will be growing up a bit. She’s forsaking science for shopping. She’s moving to the big city, acquiring loads of new clothes and accessories, and—from the looks of it—an incipient case of anorexia.

Here we go with the fuzzy math again

2009-01-10T14:59:00.003-06:00

Nashville is spending half a million dollars on an election for a referendum that will save us about $500 per year. I'm mathematically challenged, but even I can see stupid math that blatant. Just another reason to vote NO on English Only.

Christianity, breastfeeding and Facebook

2008-12-31T15:42:00.002-06:00

Christopher writes from a Christian perspective about the controversy surrounding breastfeeding pictures on Facebook. This has been going on for a year at least if I remember correctly, but it is just now hitting the mainstream media. Maybe I should find or take some breastfeeding pictures to post.

Holy crap!

2008-12-23T22:10:00.003-06:00

Cartoon by David Hayward at nakedpastor.

Silent Night? Like hell it was

2008-12-22T20:43:00.003-06:00

Away in a manger
No crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus
Lay down his sweet head

Umm, how anachronistic is that? They didn't have cribs back then. They coslept (Luke 11:7). But that doesn't really bother me. How about this:

The cattle are lowing,
the poor Baby wakes,
But little Lord Jesus,
no crying He makes;

Is it going overboard to call this borderline heretical? What is the purpose of the claim that the baby Jesus did not cry when he was rudely awakened by some noisy animals while he was supposedly sleeping by himself in a manger? (I think that's off, as I've said, but that is the premise of the song.) Saying that the baby Jesus did not cry in such a situation either implies that Jesus was not fully human (heretical) or that Jesus didn't cry because crying is "bad" (a dangerous misunderstanding of the communicative purposes of crying in an infant). Either way, this song makes me cringe every time I hear it sung.

Here's a dramatic version of the manger scene that is certainly anachronistic, but at least more true to life:

(Mary is lying down, an exhausted arm flopped over her eyes. Joseph is pacing with the roaring baby, jiggling it. A childish chorus croons “Silent Night” in the background.)

JOSEPH: Maybe he needs changing.

MARY: I just changed him.

JOSEPH: Maybe he needs to nurse.

MARY: I JUST NURSED HIM!!!

(Joseph tries to rock and soothe, to no avail).

MARY: Ei Ei Ei! I need some shepherd's purse and milk thistle to calm my nerves! Can’t you take him outside for a moment so I can at least clean myself up?

JOSEPH: It’s freezing out there!

MARY: Just for 5 minutes? Please? Use the sheepskin!

JOSEPH: Blessed art thou among women? CRANKY art thou among women more like it! (He struggles to wrap the sheepskin around the screaming baby and leaves.)

MARY: Lord, that angel I thought I saw - unless it was just too much falafel – said I was highly favored! I sure don’t feel very favored right now! I’m sore both ends, I’m LEAKING both ends – and if that baby is really your baby then why is he screaming blue bloody murder all the time? Shouldn’t he be meek and mild and QUIET???

[Read it all]

Interesting events

2008-12-21T20:04:00.003-06:00

I'd like to start mentioning interesting things that I've come across on the internet from time to time. Because even though I'm not updating much, I'm certainly still reading. Here's my first update.

*Jared was probably a bit nervous when his day came to celebrate Holy Eucharist for the first Sunday after being ordained as a priest. But he never guessed that the President of the United States would show up.

*If you're a Nashvillian and have a brain, get out and vote against this crap. No wonder people think that we're a bunch of yokels around here.

*And if you think that's bad, now those whose birth certificates have been certified by midwives are being treated as second class citizens. As a mom with two children whose births have been properly certified by a midwife according to the law, it is scary to think that 60 years from now someone might call those births into question and discriminate against my children, taking away their rights as U.S. citizens. The precedent that this sets is very scary folks.

Where have all the trick or treaters gone?

2008-10-31T18:59:00.004-05:00

I'm totally sad that I've been sitting on my porch dressed like a clown with pumpkins lit and scary soundtrack playing and I've only had two families trick or treat. What's up with this? Here's Halloween, the one holiday left where you aren't expected to spend tons of money. The one holiday left where you actually go meet the neighbors that you've isolated yourself from. The one holiday left where you give to strangers just for the joy of it. And its dying a slow death. (UPDATE: I'm being a little melodramatic here. But hey its Halloween. Things are supposed to die.)

Why? Some people are afraid of the proverbial razor in the apple. But that's just an urban legend. The only documented case of tampered with Halloween treats is a case where a father sadly poisoned his own son. Some folks are worried about the scary death theme of Halloween. But I think that those of us in the church out of everyone should be the most comfortable with such subjects.

Instead churches are throwing out Halloween and hiding in their church ghettos. And by doing that we're missing the most great opportunity. The opportunity to meet our neighbors. The opportunity to share with the people in our community. The opportunity to cross the boundaries of isolation and fear of the other that is being more and more ingrained in our culture. The fear and isolation that is so antithetical to the gospel.

I've had a few more families arrive (one child new that it was my daughter's house even though I didn't know who she was). I hope that when my kids grow up they can sit by their doors awaiting the trick or treaters.

Happy Halloween!

Opressive student loans

2008-10-25T09:35:00.004-05:00

I thought this was interesting. Who the hell gives a music major $160,000 in student loans? I remember sitting in the required session when I was 18 and they were explaining that we would have to repay our school loans. I had no idea what I was getting into. And I had no idea that I would marry a man who had even less of an idea of what he was getting into. When else do we give 18-year-olds huge loans with no collateral that the overwhelming majority don't really understand? Something is not right with this system.

Chris (who doesn't want his last name used) graduated with about $160,000 in student loan debt with a master's degree in music.
"At the time I thought I could handle it. I thought the most I'd be paying was $600 a month," he says.
But his payments were $2,400 a month. So Chris started looking for jobs overseas. He thought he'd be able to earn more and pay off his loans. But it didn't turn out that way. His salary was even less than what he was making back home. He realized there was no way he could make his payments, so he changed his address.
"They think I'm living somewhere in Arizona," he says. His last payment was a year and a half ago.
Read it all...

No OB is worth waiting three hours for

2008-10-23T22:29:00.003-05:00

Out of three births, one with a family physician and two with a midwife, I only had to wait more than five minutes for an appointment twice. Once when the doctor had an emergency at the hospital and once when my midwife and I had some confusion about where we were supposed to meet (even then it only took her maybe 30 minutes to turn around and come back). That's why it just blows my mind that anyone, especially a pregnant woman, would put up with sitting in an OB's office for up to three hours time and time again. So you can see the doctor for ten minutes tops? Forget about it.

Seriously, I'd have my doubts whether a doctor like that would be able to show up to my birth on time.

Maternity care quiz

2008-10-08T21:52:00.001-05:00

Check out this great Q&A about maternity care.

Infants Strangled to Death in Simplicity Bassinets

2008-08-28T22:20:00.003-05:00

I'm glad to see that the Consumer Products Safety Commission is using its new authority to issue this warning:

Infants Strangled to Death in Simplicity Bassinets: CPSC Urges Consumers To Stop Using Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 Convertible Close-Sleeper Models

WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents and caregivers to stop using convertible close-sleeper/bedside sleeper bassinets manufactured by Simplicity Inc., of Reading, Pa. CPSC has learned that on August 21, 2008, a 5-month-old girl from Shawnee, Kan. was strangled to death when she became entrapped between the bassinet's metal bars. This is the second strangulation death CPSC has learned of in the co-sleeper bassinets. On September 29, 2007, a 4-month-old girl from Noel, Mo. became entrapped in the metal bars of the bassinet and died.

CPSC is issuing this safety alert because SFCA Inc., the company which purchased all of Simplicity Inc.�s assets at public auction in April 2008, has refused to cooperate with the government and recall the products. SFCA maintains that it is not responsible for products previously manufactured by Simplicity Inc.

The Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible bassinets contain metal bars spaced farther apart than 2 3/8 inches, which is the maximum distance allowed under the federal crib safety standard. The metal bars are covered by an adjustable fabric flap which is attached by velcro. The fabric is folded down when the bassinet is converted into a bed-side co-sleeping position. If the velcro is not properly re-secured when the flap is adjusted, an infant can slip through the opening and become entrapped in the metal bars and suffocate. This warning does not cover bassinets produced in recent months that have fabric permanently attached over the lower bar.

Due to the serious hazard these bassinets pose to babies, CPSC urges all consumers to share this safety warning with day care centers, consignment stores, family and friends to ensure that no child is placed to sleep in a Simplicity convertible bassinet covered by this warning.

The Commission voted, using its new authorities in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, to release this warning upon making a finding that the health and safety of the public require immediate notice.

Doing laundry in the love of God

2008-08-27T11:40:00.001-05:00

After watching this I'm ashamed for being grouchy while doing laundry. From now on I'm doing laundry in the love of God. Its funny.

Indie is in a play. Come check it out.

2008-08-26T21:47:00.003-05:00

I'm going to be in a play called Birth about eight women sharing their birth stories. We're doing this to get women talking about their birth options and telling their birth stories. I'm really excited and a little nervous but mostly excited. We're raising funds for the Nashville Birth Network. You can buy tickets in advance online or at the door (or ask me and I'll get you some). Come check it out!

Knocked up. Knocked down.

2008-08-14T13:51:00.003-05:00

Here's an article worth reading (click on "article") from The Contributor, Nashville's homeless newspaper. Here's a quote:

As a person who embraces a consistent pro-life ethic, the seamless garment from womb to tomb, I nonetheless find it difficult to council a woman not to abort a child when she is living on the streets. For too many religious folk pro-life actually means pro-fetus and the burden of caring for the child rests squarely on the already burdened shoulders of the mother once the child is born. Where is the clean safe loving place that I can send homeless women to who are expecting? And even more importantly, where is the clean safe home that these women can then take their children to once they are born? In the past two months I have come into contact with a handful of mothers whose children are sleeping with them on the street, or have slept with them out-of-doors recently. I search frantically for someplace safe for these women to go, and too often I come up empty handed. If you know of someplace please let me know and I will send you women in need by the dozens.

Read the rest. Its worth your time.

h/t: The Homeless Guy

Paul House released this morning

2008-07-02T13:38:00.002-05:00

If all went according to plan, Paul House was released this morning into the care of his mother. House's mother Joyce had planned to use a property bond against her house but an anonymous donor covered the cost of bail.

Paul House still awaits retrial in October and is under house arrest in his mother's home, but at least he is in a real home for the first time in 23 years.

When will justice be served for Paul House?

2008-06-27T23:29:00.002-05:00

I can't tell this story and better than the Nashville Scene already has. How long must we wait for justice for Paul House?

But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream. Amos 5.24

Lord, hear our prayer.

A religion that feels like a religion

2008-06-23T22:39:00.003-05:00

I want to share a post about the church from Katie, whose blog is called Quiet Garden, because I think that she has touched on some things that I felt when leaving Churches of Christ and searching for something else. I remember observing the Orthodox Jews in my Boston neighborhood and longing for a religion that felt like a religion. The funny thing is that although my felt need was for a different feeling, I've found that being in a church that uses a structured liturgy has freed me from needing to feel like worshiping. The focus isn't on what I feel, but instead it is on Christ. By contrast, sitting through a Church of Christ service feels like sitting through a city council meeting with a focus on the guy in the suit.

(As a side note I have to say that I don't mean to totally disparage Churches of Christ. I'm trying to describe what the difference has seemed like to me, but in the meantime I'm a bit afraid that I'm coming across like an ungrateful daughter who humiliates her parents for their failings in public. I owe much to my upbringing amoungst some very spiritual people in Churches of Christ.)

Anyway, Katie has this to say in her blog post:

"[S]omeone who has acted on the impulse to visit a church might actually prefer to find a distinctive experience, unlike what they find in other venues. If I visited Europe, I know how disappointed I would be to find that it had Americanized itself in an attempt to make me feel at home."

Also a quote that she came across in a Christianity Today article resonated with me:

Many 20- and 30-something evangelicals are uneasy and alienated in mall-like church environments; high-energy, entertainment-oriented worship; and boomer-era ministry strategies and structures modeled on the business world. Increasingly, they are asking just how these culturally camouflaged churches can help them rise above the values of the consumerist world around them. (Emphasis mine)

I've italicized "boomer-era ministry strategies and structures modeled on the business world" because these are undesirable things that are also, I think, a part of the leadership structure in my new church home. There seems to be so much of an emphasis on numerical growth without discipleship or sacrifice. I haven't visited a church in all of my wandering where this has not been the prevailing theme. I remember when I was in Churches of Christ a phrase that would often work its way into the prayers was "Lord, please help us to grow spiritually and numerically." While those two things may sometimes go together, very often they don't and we should be prepared for that. Growing spiritually may mean, for some churches, losing numerically as those who were just using church as a cheap substitute for a country club pick up and go. Are we prepared, if that is the case? Willow Creek, the huge prototypical mega church, has said recently that they screwed up when they equated getting lots of people to lots of programs with spiritual growth and yet so many churches are following in their footsteps and equating more programs and more backsides in the pew with discipleship.

So I guess that I'm saying that my church move has salved my desire for worship that is ancient and beautiful and transcendent but it hasn't relieved me of the yearning for a faith that eschews our culture's focus on all things that purport to be "bigger" and "more" while lacking substance.

I'm starting to ramble at this point so just go read what Katie had to say and maybe come back and let me know what you think.

Circumcision references

2008-05-08T11:04:00.002-05:00

Here are the promised references to accompany my previous article.

From The British Journal of Urology:

O’Hara K, O’Hara J.The effect of male circumcision on the sexual enjoyment of the female partner(PDF) BJU Int 1999;83 Suppl 1:79–84.

And a letter to the editor of The New Zealand Medical Journal which references the above article and others:

Effects of male circumcision on female arousal and orgasm

Why we didn't circumcise

2008-05-05T17:34:00.003-05:00

A while back Ruthie started a series about parenting choices and the subject she led off with was circumcision. I made a promise to respond, explaining why we chose not to circumcise our son, but I got busy with moving. So I've decided to go ahead and post it here.

If you've ever perused the left side bar of my blog you may have seen the link titled The Truth about Circumcision. Phoebe Gleeson of NOCIRC of Oklahoma has put together an excellent "Chat about Circumcision" which explains my reason for not circumcising. I have no desire to reinvent the wheel here so please go over and read her short comprehensive article on the subject. If you read nothing else on the subject, read this. It is full of informative links for those who wish to know more.

Growing up, I had always assumed that circumcision was just what you did. I didn't question it. When I was pregnant with my first child I checked out just about every baby book from the Boston Public Library. I came to the conclusion from the short snipits in the books that seemed the most reasonable to me that circumcision simply was unnecessary. I learned that non-religious circumcision in this country was started as a way to stop masturbation. Well, I thought that was ridiculous and I knew that it sure as hell didn't work. But I still didn't think that circumcision was all that bad, so I told my husband that my research said it was not necessary, but if he wanted to do it I would go along as long as the baby was given pain meds. I later found out that pain meds usually aren't given and when they are they don't work very well because the good strong stuff is dangerous for newborns. But we didn't know that then. My husband decided that it would be wrong to put the baby through even a medicated circumcision if it wasn't necessary. (Have I mentioned that I love my husband? I do.) It turned out to be a moot point when we found out we were having a girl.

After she was born, I learned a lot more about circumcision. Do you want to know what I learned? Go read that article I told you about. It's much more informative than anything I'm going to tell you here. I don't mind if you stop reading this. Go ahead.

Ok, you're back. Great. The more that I learned about circumcision the more horrified I was that my husband and brother and almost every man my age that I knew had been through this. Circumcision rates in the U.S. were around their peak when we were born and have been steadily declining since then. I was surprised to learn that in some areas of the country circumcision rates have dropped to 30 percent. That means more than two thirds of boys in places like California are being left intact (not circumcised). I'll be sending my daughters to college on the West Coast or Europe (where they rarely circumcise). Why? Now this is the kicker. I'm honestly embarrassed to admit this, but this little piece of information was the thing that turned me from riding the fence on this subject to being strongly anti-circumcision. Women who have been with both intact and circumcised men report that they are twice as likely to orgasm with an intact man and they prefer sex with an intact man nine to one. Of course we all know that circumcised men can be great in bed, but why do something that might hinder that for my son and future daughter-in-law? She had better appreciate what I've done (or not done) for her and wait on me hand and foot in my old age. Ha, ha. [By the way, I'll be happy to cite a source for this info as soon as I get back on my own computer with internet that's not stolen from the neighbors who were good enough to leave theirs unsecured. A blessing be upon their house.]

When I was pregnant with my second daughter I was fully convinced, so when my midwife asked if we would circumcise a boy I said no. She said, "Thank God." I had met my first real life anti-circumcision advocate. I've met others since then.

So my son is not circumcised. We have not had any problems, and I feel confidant that if we did that we could solve them the same way that we would if our uncircumcised daughters had problems. Many times as I've changed his diapers in the last seven months I've felt thankful that I found out soon enough to save my son from being hurt. I know several parents who found out too late and deeply regret what can't be undone. I know a few men who wish that they could undo what was done without their permission. And I know one mom whose child was circumcised without her consent. But thankfully I have a number of friends who have chosen not to circumcise (including the girls' fabulous godparents) and who have also had no problems.

So there it is. Foreskins are not some kind of scary things that we must do away with. They are normal body parts with a purpose and my son is keeping his.

[Click on the circumcision link in the labels below if you want to read my rant about the circumcision and AIDS propaganda.]

One dollar water

2008-03-22T17:52:00.001-05:00

I wish that my husband had man boobs

2008-03-15T20:26:00.001-05:00

10 random things about me

2008-02-14T15:12:00.004-06:00

I've been tagged with this one a couple of times, and its easy to do when everyone is sick so here it is. I admit that I cheated and used an old similar list. I'm also too lazy to tag anyone.

1. I used to work as a security officer

2. We didn’t have electricity when I was a kid

3. I’ve dressed up as a prostitute for a church ladies day and a seminary class

4. I’m afraid of cutting my hair

5. I’ve been proposed to by two guys

6. I’ve kissed a guy who was wearing tights

7. Kenneth Star and I have written for the same newspaper

8. I’ve been bucked off a horse and a pony

9. I’ve been on national and local television

10. I once served pie to Mikhail Gorbachev

Do the WIC officials read my blog?

2008-02-09T19:44:00.000-06:00

Last year I wrote about WIC giving me a lot more juice than the nutritionist said that I should give my kids. I picked up my WIC vouchers recently and they had dropped from three bottles of juice to two bottles. A grocery store clerk told me that they are doing this with others too. I'm sure that this is a coincidence that has nothing to do with me, but it is an interesting development. Unfortunately they did not replace the juice with fresh fruit.

To dust you shall return

2008-02-07T10:34:00.000-06:00

More by this photographer

I was feeling horribly ill yesterday and didn't make it out to the Ash Wednesday service at church. That's the one where they make a cross on your forehead with ashes and say, "Dust you are and to dust you shall return" (Gen 3:19).

So in lieu of that stark reminder of my own mortality, I viewed some pictures of human bone artwork from the ossuary at Kutna Hora, Czech Republic. The chandelier in the photo includes every bone in the body. I'm not really sure what inspired this macabre art, but I guess when you have tens of thousands of left over bones from the black plague you have to do something with them. Why not make a chandelier?

Each one of those skulls represents a human who had a family and worried about day to day things like the rest of us and now they are decorating an ossuary for tourists to gawk at. The great thing about Lent is that the story doesn't end here. We are reminded of our mortality at the start of Lent and at the end, on Easter, we are reminded of our immortality. We remember that Christ rose, conquering death. We shall return to dust, but then we shall with Christ return to life. We walk through Lent with a mind to our brokenness, but also with a hope of the healer who will do his work in us.

**************************

Here's a Lenten primer for those who wish to know more.

Advent

2007-11-29T12:35:00.000-06:00

Advent starts on Sunday. Check out the article I wrote about Advent for our church newsletter.

A new stupid way to save the planet

2007-11-28T09:36:00.000-06:00

Check this out. Abortion and sterilization as a way to reduce your carbon footprint. Hey, I have an idea. How about killing your yearly plane ride instead of your baby.

Dove stinks, but don't worry I won't rant about it

2007-11-27T18:12:00.000-06:00

I've been meaning to blog about the hypocrisy of Dove's feel good campaign for real beauty in light of their parent company Unilever's nasty woman demeaning Axe ad campaign, but Sam beat me to it. So go check out what he has to say.

YouTube censors Sesame Street

2007-11-23T22:03:00.000-06:00

First it was Myspace, then Facebook, now YouTube is the latest offender in a rash of censorship of breastfeeding photos and video. The video that YouTube censored is a circa 1977 clip of Buffy Sainte-Marie breastfeeding her baby while answering Big Bird's questions about breastfeeding.

In the video, Big Bird says, "That's a funny way to feed a baby." You can't really blame him. He's a bird. His mama fed him by throwing up in his mouth. So he doesn't know any better. You would think that the human beings at YouTube would know better though. But it seems that they are acting rather bird brained about this one. By the end of the clip, Big Bird has come to appreciate the human way of baby feeding. Hopefully those of us contacting YouTube can educate them too.

If you find this censorship as offensive as I do, feel free to let YouTube about it.

Here's another lead tainted toy as our way of saying sorry for the other lead tainted toys.

2007-09-27T12:09:00.001-05:00

RC2 Corporation, the makers of the wooden Thomas the Train sets, just announced a second recall of five trains and accessories due to excessive levels of lead paint.

There are two ironies here. Two of the recalled items were originally sold as a part of the same Figure Eight Conductor's Set in which three of the previous items were sold. Why didn't they test all of those items at the same time?

Second, and even worse, the "Toad" brake car that was just recalled was given to my children by the RC2 Corporation as a gift to apologize for the original recall of their lead tainted toys. They failed to test this "gift" that they gave my children as their sorry for ruining your brain consolation prize.

I had already been considering demanding a made in China free Christmas. I think that this just sealed the deal. I'll be sharing a link to a website to find toys that are made in the USA (h/t: Meredith) with the usual gift-givers. Hopefully this will be more motivational than avoiding sweatshops has been.

Please note: The Consumer Products Safety Commission website is currently incorrectly listing the number on the recalled "Toad" car. Be sure to check the RC2 website for the correct number.

Its about time that I admit...

2007-08-19T01:19:00.000-05:00

I can't write worth crap when I'm pregnant. My mind turns to soggy bread mush. I'm so tired that I go to bed so early that I miss dinner and then sleep until 11am on Saturday and end up with insomnia Sunday morning.

And then I'll get a sudden burst of energy and I'll stay up all night cleaning like some sort of Martha Stewart on speed until my feet and legs swell with edema and I'm forced to lie down and put my feet up. Then I curse being pregnant while trying to fold laundry upside down, feet in the air. I guess this is supposed to drain the retained water but all of the blood just rushes to my brain.

More blood to the brain should be a good thing. I should be able to answer my emails even if I can't make myself do anything else productive. But I have emails that I meant to write last week that haven't left my brain to jump onto a computer screen. Oh hell, now that I think of it, I promised my husband's ex-girlfriend some information on VBAC several months ago. It took me about ten minutes to track the information down and only that long because the website was not intuitive. But somehow I'm too overwhelmed with gestating a new life that I can't be bothered to help people. A new life that just so happens to insist on hanging out in the womb backwards (posterior). It should come as no surprise that my child would be backwards before she or he even has a chance to hit the perineum.

So because I'm a backwards pregnant woman with a backwards child floating around and making me even hotter than the heat index of 107 degrees+ would indicate, I cannot be expected to write anything on my blog. At least not anything sensible. But once this child is born, hopefully I'll be more consistent.

If only he were black or a woman

2007-08-14T09:33:00.000-05:00

Trying to explain why John Edwards is lagging behind Hillary and Barack in fundraising, Elizabeth Edwards said, "We can't make John black, we can't make him a woman." Because, you know, being a white male has always been a disadvantage in the U.S. presidential race. Just look at all of those non-white, non-male former presidents. Oh wait. Nevermind.

h/t: Kyle

Lunch Lady Land

2007-08-05T21:09:00.000-05:00

I was just remembering why I first dabbled in vegetarianism. I was working in my college's cafeteria where I saw how how dangerously meat could be improperly handled. I saw real life lunch ladies, who met every last bit of the stereotype, shoving lunch meat up against their noses (yes, actually touching) to check if it was still good. And I thought of this Adam Sandler song. Oh the nostalgia.

Facebook kicks Myspace's hiney out of the water

2007-07-23T21:25:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that it took me a little while to figure out Facebook. But once I did I liked it a lot more than Myspace. And now that my friends are starting to migrate over to Facebook, its becoming a lot more fun. It looks like we're not the only ones.

Of course, most of my friends are too old to fall into the age group surveyed. But it is interesting. Its especially interesting to see how much more popular both Facebook and Myspace are among women than men. And men seem to be much more interested in Facebook than Myspace.

I'm making a comeback

2007-07-23T21:22:00.000-05:00

After taking a blog hiatus for nearly two months, I've decided that it is about time that I start writing again. So here I am. Look for more to come.

Birth as sacrament

2007-06-04T02:39:00.000-05:00

Go check out the discussion at Trying to Follow.

Idiot files: How could Myspace be so stupid?

2007-05-28T11:19:00.000-05:00

According to this article, 29 year old Jessica Davis was banned from Myspace for being a sex offender even though she is not. According to the CEO of Sentinel which created the database for Myspace, "It was one of those rare instances where there was nothing else we could have done but flag her. If we get an offender and I'm looking at a date of birth that's two days off, we're going to assume were dealing with the offender." What he doesn't mention is that the birth date was actually two YEARS and two days off. He also doesn't mention that Jessica was either the third or fourth most common girl's name the year that she was born (either 1977 or 1978) and Davis is the sixth most common last name in the United States. That means there are scores of generation X women with her name and birthday. The chances of any Jessica Davis on Myspace who happened to be born within a few years of a sex offender with that same name actually being that sex offender are incredibly small. Its like saying Myspace is going to ban all John Smiths because some guy named named John Smith is a sex offender. But apparently the brilliant folks at Myspace are too stupid to figure that out. Its really no surprise considering that they are also too stupid to come up with a user friendly interface.

2007-05-25T17:21:00.001-05:00

I know that I'm starting to sound like a commercial today, but I had to mention my chance encounter with Big Lots. I went in the other day to see if they had any fluoride free Tom's of Maine toothpaste (they didn't) and found some great deals. I found Hunt's Organic Spaghetti Sauce for less than the cheapest spaghetti sauce at Kroger (it was only 70 cents). I found Annie's whole wheat mac and cheese (shaped like D. W. from PBS's Arthur, a big bonus with the kids) for less than Walmart). I picked up so many different whole wheat pastas for a fraction of the grocery store price that the cashier thought I was getting ready to hold a huge spaghetti party or something. I got some great organic tea that I saw for more than twice the price at Wild Oats. I also bought two flavors of Annie's Naturals salad dressing that was obscenely priced at Wild Oats for a fraction of the cost. This stuff is amazingly delicious and it has gone quickly with the huge amount of organic lettuce that we have been getting from our local CSA. I know of at least three Big Lots in Middle Tennessee that are located next to thrift shops (I'm betting that they do this on purpose) so its easy to take care of two tasks at once.

The perfect Mother's Day gift

2007-05-25T17:08:00.001-05:00

I received a steamer for Mother's Day. Since I haven't any idea what I'd do with a steamer that I couldn't do with the iron that I already have, I sent my dear husband back to the store to exchange it for a wet/dry vac. This is the best and most appropriate Mother's Day gift that I have ever received (even if I did pick it out myself). Just today I paired it up with rubbing alcohol to clean permanent marker that someone had used to decorate the carpet. I didn't get it all out, but it does look much better. Moments later I found a huge wet soapy spot created by someone who attempted to blow bubbles indoors after I told her not to. I got a good deal of the soap out before the machine started spewing bubbles out of the exhaust and I had to stop to let the filter dry. I'm loving this thing and I've found it to be more practical than an expensive spot carpet cleaner.

TOMORROW Tennessee plans to kill man based on a lie

2007-05-07T19:37:00.000-05:00

I'm just copying the information below straight from the email that I received about this. For more information watch the video in my previous post then contact the Governor Bredesen today. Please note that the vigils listed below take place on Tuesday night (May 8). Philip Workman will technically be executed on Wednesday May 9 because it takes place shortly after midnight.

Philip Workman Scheduled to Die Tomorrow! ACT NOW

Today the United State 6th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a temporary restraining order, put in place by U.S. District Court Judge Todd Campbell, to allow for a hearing on Tennessee’s “new” lethal injection procedures. Even as you read this, Philip Workman has been moved, for a tortuous fourth time, to death watch, to prepare for his execution at 1:00am Wednesday morning.

All of this despite overwhelming new evidence pointing to Philip Workman’s factual innocence in the shooting of Memphis Police Lieutenant Ronal Oliver. Consider:

* The only eyewitness who testified that he saw Workman shoot Lt. Oliver, Harold Davis, has recanted his testimony and admitted that we was not on the scene. He has even passed a lie detector test confirming this new admission.

* Ballistics experts have testified that “to a degree of medical certainty” the bullet that killed Lt. Oliver did not come from Phillip Workman’s gun.

* Five of the original jurors have signed affidavits stating that they would not have voted for death had this information been available to them at the time of trial.

* The prosecuting D.A. and Lt. Oliver’s daughter have called for the Governor to grant clemency to Philip Workman.

Now is the critical time to act and call on Governor Bredesen to save Philip Workman’s life!!!

Call the Governor at (615) 741-2001 or email phil.bredesen@state.tn.us and tell him:

“Philip Workman did not shoot Ronal Oliver. Our state should not execute someone based on a lie!”

If, tomorrow afternoon, the Governor has refused to do the right thing, join a vigil near you to bear witness against an immoral and unjust execution. Vigil information is below:

Memphis
9:00pm- Immaculate Conception, 1695 Central Avenue
Nashville
7:30 - 8:30 Holy Name Church, 521 Woodland Avenue
9:00 - Vigil, Riverbend Prison, 7475 Cockrill Bend Blvd
Jackson
7:00-8:00 St. Mary’s Church, 1665 Highway 45 Bypass
Knoxville
8:00-9:30 St. James Episcopal Church, 1101 North Broadway

Learn more about the Philip Workman case at: http://www.tcask.org/cases/workman/workman.html

More evidence that the death penalty system in Tennessee is broken

2007-05-04T20:37:00.000-05:00

Governor Bredesen is still holding on to his stubborn position that the moratorium on executions in Tennessee should not be extended even though the flaws in the system have not been fixed (see the link in Tuesday's post). More proof that Tennessee's system is flawed is available in the following video about death row inmate Philip Workman who was scheduled to be executed May 9. This afternoon a federal judge temporarily halted the execution to allow more time to review the protocols for carrying out executions.

Gov. Bredesen's head is stuck in the sand, again

2007-05-01T17:15:00.000-05:00

How does the governor justify this? I just might be forced to support a Republican the next time the governor's seat opens up. (It gives me the shivers just to write that.)

WIC and fuzzy math

2007-04-19T10:10:00.000-05:00

I was told by the WIC nutritionist to give the children no more than 6oz of juice per day. That is reasonable considering the sugar content. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 4-6oz of juice per day. So the 6oz is the upper limit. Excessive juice consumption leads to obesity and dental problems as well as gastrointestinal issues. So this begs the question. Why was I given vouchers for six 46oz containers of juice per person per month? That averages out to about 9oz per person per day. What am I supposed to do with the extra 90 or so oz per person per month? A whooping 270oz between the three of us. Thats five 46oz bottles of juice. Even if I were to give all of the extra to my husband, he would be getting almost 9oz a day. That's probably ok for an adult, but not everyone has an extra person in their household.

I should mention that vegetable juice (V8 and tomato juice) is available. But I was never advised that using all of the vouchers for fruit juice would leave me with too much juice. If its supposed to be a nutritional program and 6oz per day is the recommended limit then why give me more than that? And why not advise me to buy both fruit and vegetable juices? Unless I am breastfeeding and get free carrots, vegetable juice is my only chance to get any vegetables from the WIC program. (A few places give out farmer's market vouchers but unfortunately not for folks in my area. WIC is administered at the state level so it can vary somewhat.) The math doesn't work out because its not supposed to. WIC is an industry subsidy masquerading as a nutritional program.

Campbellites? Nay, Cranmerites!

2007-04-18T23:51:00.000-05:00

A woman whose husband has left Churches of Christ and embraced the Episcopal Church has asked those of us with similar stories to answer a few questions. I thought that I would share them here. (And plagiarize the title of her post because I love it.)

· Why the Episcopal Church? Why not something closer to home--like Disciples of Christ, for instance?

I tried the Disciples of Christ and it just didn’t click. I kept having this urge to have a religion that felt like a religion. I also tried an emerging church but had a bad experience. Finally, I came to an Episcopal Church and was so enraptured with the sacraments and especially the centricity of the Eucharist that it was easy to ignore the problems (like people who were mean and snobby to my tattooed husband).

· How many other churches did you check out before choosing the Episcopal Church as home?

I’ve lost count. I had been to only one non-Church of Christ church before 2001 when I started exploring other denominations. After moving to Boston in 2001 we settled in at the Brookline Church of Christ and put our denomination hunt off for a while. After moving to Nashville we started looking again. It took two years and some bad experiences that brought us to the point of almost giving up, but we finally decided to stay in the Episcopal Church and were confirmed last Sunday.

· What continuities do you see between the Episcopal Church and Churches of Christ?

One of the reasons that I first came to the Episcopal Church is because I had heard that they did communion every week and I had been missing that after going to a church that rarely did communion and was rather disrespectful when they did. That is the major similarity that I’ve noticed.

· What was the last theological/doctrinal "hurdle" to overcome in joining the Episcopal Church?

It was probably infant and non-immersion baptism, although I had mostly gotten past that before I came to the Episcopal Church. I also had to become comfortable with being the conservative among liberals instead of the reverse.

· Aren't vestments cool?

No. They are darn hot. At least the ones I wear when I serve are. I’ve felt like I was going to pass out a couple of times.

· How long have you been Episcopalian? Do you still maintain any CofC ties? Does your family pray for your salvation or are they cool with your Episcopalian-ness?

Three and a half days. I’ve been attending for nearly two years. I still have CofC family and friends. Most of my friends and family members are dazed and confused about why I’m an Episcopalian however one of my CofC family members has become quite attached to the way that we do Eucharist and healing services but has too many theological issues at this time. I did receive one email from a relative who said that he was “saddened” and had a “heavy heart” when he learned from my blog that I had “fallen in love” with the Episcopal Church. He sent me a World Bible School lesson about the unity of the church apparently implying that the Episcopal Church is not a part of “the Lord’s Church”. I’m sure that he is praying for me and probably some others are too. My Catholic father, however, is thrilled that I’ve come one step closer to the one true church.

· Have you met many other former CofCers? Why do you think so many turn to the Episcopal Church when they leave the CofC? I’ve met quite a few. There are several in our congregation and I’ve found some via the internet. I just got to meet Jared in real life when he came to Tennessee to check out Sewanee. I thought I would leave all of my connections behind when I left Churches of Christ, but it is nice to know that these connections sometimes extend beyond denominational divisions. I think that the Episcopal Church is the same as the CofC in the right ways and different in the right ways as well (for the most part). It would be interesting to see a formal study of traffic patterns between various denominations.

· Give us your vote--do we baptize Clare as an infant or not? (Not that sacraments are a matter of majority rule or anything...)

We had our girls baptized last year, a full year before being confirmed. So I’d say yes, but I think you both have to be on board with it. Its not going to hurt her if you put it off, although she might not be able to receive Eucharist (I think this varies somewhat). My girls would not put up with being excluded for long.

Let us reward you by poisoning your breastmilk

2007-04-18T21:53:00.000-05:00

I've already written about the bad advice that Tennessee's WIC website is giving mothers and about the difficulty I had phoning a local WIC office and finding someone who speaks English. Tuesday my children and I finally went through the two and a half hour process to get approved for WIC. After I went home, I looked at the flyer that told me which foods I could and could not buy and was shocked to see what they were giving exclusively breastfeeding women.

Women who formula feed get almost all of the formula that an infant needs for a month for free. Infant formula costs over a thousand dollars per year. Because of the huge amount of free formula that formula feeding WIC recipients are receiving, I was quite shocked to see the "extra" food that exclusively breastfeeding women are being offered: carrots and tuna.

First of all I was shocked because these are astronomically less expensive than formula. But more important than that is the health concern over mercury in tuna. Regular tuna is among the fish highest in mercury and should never be consumed by women who are pregnant, nursing, or who might become pregnant. Light tuna is lower in mercury than regular tuna but should still never be consumed by pregnant women and should be eaten no more than once per month by breastfeeding mothers. (Estimates vary on how much is safe, but I'm going to be conservative when it comes to exposing my newborn to neurotoxins.) Why are we giving mercury contaminated fish to breastfeeding mothers? WIC doesn't even limit breastfeeding mothers to light tuna (with the exception of a few states). Poor babies are being poisoned with mercury by a government nutrition program. This disgusts me. I hardly know what to say.

Apparently I'm not the only one who has noticed this problem. Salon.com did an article on it. As an aside, one inaccuracy in the Salon article is this statement: "The program's reach is so vast that it serves 45 percent of all babies born in the United States, a commentary on how many babies are born into poverty." Actually, the WIC program has much higher income limits than most subsidies of this nature. In other words, a large number of WIC babies are lower middle class, not living in poverty.

Edited to add: In addition to the alternative fish mentioned in the above links, ground flax seed is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids.

Infants are not luggage--buy an extra plane ticket

2007-04-09T21:30:00.000-05:00

This is why you should buy your babies and toddlers their own seats on a plane and install their car seats.

The church glass ceiling and ordaining women for the right reasons

2007-04-06T16:53:00.000-05:00

The CBE Scroll talks about the church glass ceiling and about how mainline churches ordained women for the wrong reasons instead of wrestling with the theology first. Here is a taste:

"Scripture teaches us that the question of women in ministry is not an issue of equal opportunity and justice, but rather one concerning the wholeness of the body. Paul writes to the Ephesians, “From Christ the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work”(4:16). The potential for the body to be healthy and vital relies on the ability of each individual member of the body to do their part. Thus, when we minimize the ordained leadership of our women, we weaken the whole of the body. (The same argument could be made about how our marginalization of our racial ethnic brothers and sisters weakens the whole of the church, but that discussion is for another paper.) Our church documents say that we welcome the ministry of women, but we have yet to recognize the essential nature of their participation in all areas and levels of ministry. The church needs the voice, the talents, the perspective of women in order to live into the whole ministry to which God has called the church. When Jesus commissioned Mary to be the first evangelist to carry the good news of the resurrection, he taught us that women are needed in the church to do more that just to fill the positions that men are unwilling to take. To reach a world in darkness, we need men and women of faith, lifted up into positions of leadership and influence by the church, to lead the faithful in declaring the good news given first to Mary." Read the rest.

Church bloopers

2007-03-21T12:26:00.000-05:00

This is the funniest thing that I've seen in a long time.

H/T: Ben Witherington

Tennessee's WIC giving bad advice to mothers

2007-03-20T01:29:00.000-05:00

WIC (Women, Infants and Children) is a government program that provides supplemental foods and formula to pregnant women and mothers of small children. While it is billed as a nutrition program, the foods provided indicate more of a focus on subsidizing the conventional dairy industry than providing the most healthy, balanced diet to the recipients of the program.

But beggars can't be choosers or at least that's what my mother always said. So, since we're poor enough to qualify, I decided to look at the Tennesse WIC website and find out what I need to do to sign up. Since WIC masquerades as a nutrition program, it has to make an attempt to give out nutritional information to recipients. I've heard so many horror stories about inaccurate information but who would have thought that they would post it online for all to see?

The American Academy of Pediatrics said in a recent report, "Introductionof complementary feedings before 6 months of agegenerally doesnot increase total caloric intake or rate ofgrowth and onlysubstitutes foods that lack the protective componentsof humanmilk." And yet this brochure (PDF) from the Tennessee Department of Health which is on the Tennessee WIC website appears to endorse the introduction of solids at four months. While the report indicates that there may be some instances in which solids would be introduced earlier, this is not held up as the norm. It is worth noting that the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and several other organizations recommend exclusive breastfeeding for at least the first six months of an infant's life with complementary foods slowing being introduced at this time while the mother continues breastfeeding.

The brochure goes on to make another major mistake that misleads mothers. Point number eleven in the brochure (PDF) says, "Baby should be weaned by one year of age." There is simply no excuse for this blatant inaccuracy. It is unacceptable. The AAP says in the same report mentioned above that "breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first yearof life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by motherand child" (empasis mine). The one year mark is not a cut off date but a minimal goal. Both the WHO and UNICEF go a step beyond this, recommending two or more years of breastfeeding. The benefits of breastfeeding do not suddenly end at one year.

What a shame that needy mothers looking to the WIC program for healthy food and nutritional advice are being so mislead by inaccurate information.

Church reader boards

2007-03-19T09:57:00.000-05:00

A church that I have to pass every time I come home has a reader board. And though I wish that I could pass it by without reading it, I find that I have to read it almost like a rubbernecker staring at a horrible wreak on the side of the road. Everything that this church puts on its reader board is like a wreak. After passing it daily for two years I have come to be very familiar with the internal problems of this church without ever having set foot inside the building or having met a single member. When we were searching for a church, we passed this one right by.

Now its entirely possible that the church is a great church and the only person with a problem is the one who volunteered to supply the church with trite sayings each week. Maybe its some sort of passive aggressive payback for him or her. But I think that churches can learn a valuable lesson about the proper use of a church reader board. There are two good tacts that a church can take:

not have a reader board or
have a strict policy that only allows announcements such as meeting times to be displayed.

So here's an example of what would be acceptable:

Free Lenten Soup Supper
5:30 Wednesday
All are welcome

And examples of what would not be acceptable:

10% of the people do
90% of the work

Delayed obedience
is disobedience

Stop, drop and roll
doesn't work in hell

These are all horrible signs that I have seen. Do we really think that we are attracting anyone with this junk? Anyone who does, needs to think about actually developing relationships with unchurched people and think again.

And if you are so entrenched in the wacked American Christian sub-culture that you can't tell whether your church sign sucks or not, here are some great guidelines from Church Marketing Sucks (I've not yet explored the rest of that blog so I make no claims to the blog as a whole). And if you find out that your church sign actually does suck, do something about it.

Modern day indulgences and family size woes

2007-03-07T16:16:00.000-06:00

Am I totally alone here or does anyone else think that the Terrapass is just a modern day indulgence? People buy these things so that they can slap a salve on their guilty consciences and keep on living the way that they are living. And people sell them so that they can make money.

I was going to sell my hated vehicle which emits so much junk that I would need to buy the most expensive Terrapass if I were going to buy into that sort of thing. But its hard to sell your big car and exchange it for a smaller one when you know that you cannot fit three carseats into a regular size car.

Apparently a family of five is huge these days and cannot be expected to fit into anything compact. When my grandparents were children they were both one of around sixteen children. They would have had to buy a bus if they lived in our society.

I do have a plan to lessen our family's impact in this area. It involves finding a home where we can do a lot more walking. This is a tall order in the Nashville area, but we'll see what we can do.

Shark meat and pregnancy nausea

2007-03-07T16:12:00.000-06:00

So the people are demanding that I start posting again. So here it is. What would you do if your husband decided to cook shark meat and stink up your home knowing full well that you are pregnant and nauseated? Yes, I'm pregnant. And yes, my husband has apologized for the shark meat.

Quote of the day

2007-02-14T19:24:00.000-06:00

I think it is safe to say that while the South is hardly Christ-centered, it is most certainly Christ-haunted. –Flannery O’Connor (from The Catholic Novelist in the South)

The anti-Valentine

2007-02-14T06:29:00.000-06:00

There are all sorts of defenses of Valentine's Day, including the one posted by Jess, but I'm here to set the record straight. Valentine's Day stinks.

Now, don't be trying to give me some history lesson on the origins of Valentine's Day. I already know and I don't care. Valentine's Day currently exists to make singles feel lonely and couples feel obligated.

When I was a child, I would get a flower on Valentine's Day pilfered by my chef father from a restaurant table at the end of the day. The holiday didn't seem so bad back then. But then my freshman year in college came and I was awakened to the utter agony that such a holiday could create.

I woke up Valentine's Day morning, like any other, not really thinking about the minor holiday, until I walked into the lobby of my dorm on the way to class. There were literally hundreds of bouquets waiting for girls in my dorm. Thousands of flowers and not even one for me. This was only the beginning of my horrible day.

After class, I came back to my dorm room to discover that some of those flowers had been for my roommate. Not just one guy, nor two guys had gifted her with a huge vase full of roses, but three, yes, three guys had found her attractive enough to lay out a big wad of cash on something that was going to rot in a matter of days. To add insult to injury, she pulled a few of the reject flowers out and stuck them in a vase on my side of the room. Here's your consolation prize, loser.

After years of enduring this lonely Valentine's Day ritual, I came across a guy who was willing to commit to putting up with me. This had never happened before. He was the only guy I had ever dated seriously. And I figured it would never happen again. So I married him. We had started dating February 19th, just a few days after my single girl friends and I had donned black outfits and gone out to eat sans Valentine sweethearts. Then, a year later, we got married on February 17th. And while we primarily had more practical considerations when choosing that date, it did sit well with us that is was a sort of anti-Valentine. Some sappy people get married on Valentine's Day. We got married the Thursday leading up to President's Day. Take that, stupid cupid.

We no longer feel obligated to buy stupid Valentine's Day made in China by slave labor junk nor do we get tempted to rub our coupled status in the faces of those unfortunate enough to be in our presence. All of our time and limited money is put aside for the real celebration this weekend. Tonight I'm planning to go to church. I'm just praying that the sermon doesn't have anything to do with St. Valentine. Who needs him anyway?

Check out the blog redesign

2007-02-05T18:32:00.000-06:00

Hopefully this new look is not as visually assaulting as the old bright yellow design. Sorry. That yellow monstrosity was my first attempt at redesigning my own template. The new header design is courtesy of The Tattooed Teacher. My next task will be updating my "Blogs I Stalk" links. Let me know what you think.

2007-02-02T14:36:00.000-06:00

We're all excited that we got a snow day and daddy got to stay home from work.

Well, almost all of us are excited.

Quote of the day (grandparents take note)

2007-01-28T15:29:00.000-06:00

What child needs more and louder sound effects than the ones he was born with?

Microwave experiments cause sponge disasters

2007-01-24T20:31:00.000-06:00

Story highlights
• Some who tried to sanitize germy sponges in microwave got unpleasant results
• News outlets got complaints of odors, ruined appliances
• Researchers advise that the sponges must be WET before going in microwave

This is real news, not the Onion.

The death penalty is bad policy

2007-01-24T19:17:00.000-06:00

I am against the death penalty because I believe that my faith in Christ demands non-violence. I believe what my mother used to say, "Two wrongs don't make a right," applies to state ordered death. But even if I didn't have moral and ethical issues with the death penalty, these numbers are compelling:

123 people exonerated since 1973
For every 9 executions, 1 exoneration
102 people on Tennessee's death row, none of whom could afford their own attorney at the time of their original trial
Approximately $2-7 million dollars per execution versus $700,000 for life in prison
3 times more likely to be executed if the victim is white
1 out of 10 executions is of a diagnosed mentally ill person (nevermind how many are undiagnosed)

Thanks to Stacy Rector at Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing for these numbers.

More evidence that our government sucks

2007-01-20T21:22:00.000-06:00

I just finished doing my taxes. I was quite eager to get my refund. While doing my taxes, I was attempting to claim the educator expenses tax credit for my teacher husband when I got this message from the tax program:

"Congress passed many tax law provisions late in the year, including deductions for educator expenses, tuition and fees, and sales tax. Due to these late changes, the IRS won't begin processing returns with these deductions until early February.

If you plan on filing your return before early February, you can keep the deduction for educator expenses and expect a processing delay on your return. Or you can skip the deduction for educator expenses and have your return processed immediately."

I took the credit off and I still get the same refund, but this is pretty crappy for those who have to wait. Maybe in the future schools will be funded properly so teachers don't have to spend their own meager salaries on school supplies. Its doubtful, unfortunately.

2007-01-20T11:56:00.000-06:00

I was tagged again. This time by Jared.

1. Name a book that you want to share so much that you keep giving away copies:

Three by Flannery O'Connor. Actually, any copy of Flannery's work will do, but this one contains a wide sampling of her work and I keep finding it for cheap. The first time I gave this book away, it went to Lesley who has also become a fan. Flannery is one of the best American writers, up there with folks like Faulkner. She doesn't receive as much press as guys like Hemingway and Faulkner which is, I think, some sort of vast sexist conspiracy. I have a copy in my car, waiting for the next lucky recipient. Let me know if you want it and I'll hook you up.

2. Name a piece of music that changed the way you listen to music:

Priests and Paramedics by Pedro the Lion. The first time I heard this song it freaked me out. Mostly the line "You're gonna die, we're all gonna die. Maybe twenty years, maybe tonight." It scared me. It made me think about something that I didn't want to think about. But now I listen to it and I actually like it. It is worth thinking about one's impending death. Not obsess over it, but know that it will happen someday, maybe tonight.

3. Name a film you can watch again and again without fatigue:

The Wizard of Oz. Its a good thing, because my three year old is obsessed with this movie. She was even Dorothy for Halloween.

4. Name a performer for whom you suspend all disbelief:

I'm a skeptic at heart. Nobody is that good. Sorry.

6. Name a work of fiction which has penetrated your real life:

Flannery O'Connor's short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find." Beside being my introduction to the most fabulous fiction writer ever, it made me realize that my obsession with literature was primarily an obsession with theology embedded in literature. So I added a second major, vocational ministry (I think that it is more commonly called bi-vocational ministry outside Churches of Christ). Why I chose that major is the subject of another post. I chose my other major, English, after reading John Donne.

7. Name a punch line that always makes you laugh:
I honestly don't know any good jokes with punch lines. My sense of humor consists of saying sarcastic things that some people think are funny and others think are offensive.

I'm tagging the Tatooed Teacher, Ariah, and Jess.

Six word story

2007-01-20T11:35:00.000-06:00

I was tagged by Ariah to write a six word story. This is the first time that I've ever been tagged so of course I have to follow through even though I don't quite understand the point. So here it is:

She lived 115 years, then died.

Its based on a true story.

I tag Marie, Sam, Lynnette and Lesley Mac.

2007-01-16T17:55:00.000-06:00

"If more theologians were mothers, perhaps we would have an understanding of kenosis linked to breastfeeding as a symbolic and physical "emptying" on behalf of others." -- JTB on her blog Rude Truth

Pentecostal puke

2007-01-12T13:43:00.000-06:00

Someone from South Africa just found my blog by searching for "Pentecostal puke." That has to be the craziest search term that I've ever come across. I would love to hear the story behind that.

St. George W. Bush

2007-01-10T21:17:00.000-06:00

Does this picture creep anyone else out the way that it does me?

Velvet Elvis: The more merciful review

2007-01-08T21:52:00.000-06:00

I registered my distaste for Rob Bell's writing style in Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith in a previous post. To further explain myself, it was staccato-ish and made me feel sea-sick. Maybe that is the new cool pomo way of writing. I don't know. But once you hit chapter four things start to change. Bell stops abusing inane trampoline analogies. And he begins to flesh out what he previously had been wondering around, trying to find. Sometimes it takes all of us a while to do that and if his editor had been better, perhaps we would have been spared all of the murk that we had to wade through. That said, there is a lot of good stuff here. Bell gets nearly poetic towards the end. He offers a beautiful glimpse of how God chooses to see us. He offers a vision of hope for the renewal of God's world. And he makes those of us who have suffered little else but wounds at the hands of our mother church envision a renewed church that is a beautiful, life giving thing. I am left with a hope, albeit tenuous, that the church can start being the true church again.

The top new (to me) blogs of the year

2007-01-06T22:44:00.000-06:00

My favorite new (to me) blogs to read this year are:

1. Ariah Fine's blog, Trying to Follow. I first heard about Ariah's blog from Sam Davidson. Ariah and his wife Mindy are fellow Nashvillians who are living in an intentional community. We met them in real life at the Doctors Without Borders refugee camp and plan to go to dinner to check out their community soon. Ariah wins the top spot because of his challenging posts that often get me to think outside of the constraints of the domesticated faith that the American church has gotten itself caught up in.

2. Jared Cramer's blog, Scribere Orare Est. I think I found Jared's blog by searching for blogs using the terms "Church of Christ" and "Episcopalian". Jared is a Church of Christ preacher turned Episcopalian who is going through the process to become an Episcopal priest. He is finishing up his MDiv at Abilene Christian University (a Church of Christ school). I find his blog interesting because I am taking a similar journey (I'll be starting confirmation class in a couple of weeks.) and because he often has thoughtful posts about faith.

3. Kyle Potter's blog, Vindicated. I think that I discovered Kyle's blog via Jared's blog. Kyle is Anglican. Or a "charismatically renewed Anglo Catholic." I'll let him explain that to you. He is working on the MTh and someday would like to be a priest... or something. I'll let him explain that to you too. My reasons for being into this blog are twofold. Kyle has theologically interesting discussions and he serves as a good filter for Anglican stuff without all of the hate speech that proliferates on most of the other blogs. This is a guy that seems to understand and get along with both sides and is able to write about his viewpoints without being a jerk. I respect that.

4. Kevin Barbieux's blog, The Homeless Guy. As the name of his blog implies, Kevin is homeless. He lives in Nashville and uses free WiFi to blog on his donated laptop. Kevin's blog is a great place to find out about a perspective that most of us know nothing about. I've been especially interested in his recent blog posts about Room in the Inn, a ministry in which local churches open their doors to the homeless, providing them with a place to stay and something to eat. Because of his posts and my experience recently when my church hosted Room in the Inn, I am planning to volunteer to help out with this ministry. It was really cool to talk with some homeless people and find out that we're not that different. I'll probably blog more about that later.

5. Justin Baeder and Aaron Ogle's blog, Radical Congruency. I went to college with Aaron (and maybe Justin too--I don't remember) and found his blog through Lesley's blog. Aaron and Justin blog mostly about the emerging church and technology.

I am painfully aware that all of these bloggers are white and male. Perhaps that is just the nature of the blogging demographic at this point, but I hope to do a little affirmative action this coming year. One blog by a woman that I like is Holly Rankin Zaher's blog Happydaydeadfish. She doesn't update super often which is certainly excusable considering the recent birth of her second child. She's an Episcopalian who is into homebirth and theology. Obviously, she's a woman after my own heart. I was originally introduced to her blog by Lynnette long before I had ever been to an Episcopal church or experienced homebirth.

Books I'm reading

2007-01-05T10:43:00.000-06:00

Just finished
The Irresistible Revolution--I think I first heard about this book from Sam. I'm pretty sure that "irresistible" in the title is a misnomer (as Ariah has found). The thing that drives me most nuts about this book is the throwing money out on Wall Street. I love prophetic things, but not prophetic things that waste money. Of course, I would have been one of the complainers if I had been around when the woman anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume oil. Anyway, this book is challenging. It makes me consider how I'm choosing to live and whether that really aligns with the gospel of Christ. We've been graciously invited to have dinner and check out Ariah's community so that we can see how one group of people is trying to apply this to their lives. I'll report back later.

Currently reading
Star Girl--I don't read novels very often, but I picked up a copy of this Jerry Spinelli book for 69 cents at a thrift store. I had high hopes for Star Girl. It was written by the author of The Chocolate War, which is fabulous. Star Girl just doesn't live up to Spinelli's other work and I'm so busy reading other books that I don't even know if I'm going to finish it. I know several eccentric charming home schooled girls in real life and Star Girl just doesn't live up to them. She comes across as fake.

Our Babies, Ourselves--I've been reading this book for about six months. I just keep putting it aside to read other stuff. Its totally worth reading though. If you plan to have children someday or give out unsolicited advice to those who have children, this book is for you. Like the Irresistible Revolution, it will knock your culturally determined ideal on it's ass. Meredeth Small uses biology and anthropology to challenge how we parent in the western world.

Velvet Elvis--Everyone else is reading it. That's my sole reason for getting a copy. Lynnette and Sam read this as they started their new church. And some folks at my church were talking about it. I was half way through this book before I felt anything besides "so, what?" The most interesting thing so far is the Caesarea Philippi goat thing (I'll let you do your own research on that). There is some good stuff in here, but frankly the guy's style of writing sucks. You don't have to be formal to be a good writer, but your writing shouldn't call attention to itself.

Pathway to Purpose for Women--I'm profoundly embarrassed to admit that I'm reading such a book. Any book that has a trademarked title and is just for women makes me want to run screaming into the night. Especially if it is promoted by Becky Tirabassi. But there is a group of women at my church who are reading this book (Daughters of the King) so I decided to join them. And the book actually says some things that I need to hear couched in between the Willow Creek-ish baby boomer junk that I'm not so keen on. God works in a mysterious way. Incidentally, both the author of this book and the author of The Irresistible Revolution have something in common. They both traveled to Calcutta to meet Mother Teresa. Shane seems to have learned more from the experience than Katie.

Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home--Originally I checked this out from the library then amassed a lot of fines when I failed to return it on time. Learn from my example and get your own copy. Its well worth the money. Its one of those books that needs to be read slowly and referred back to often. Somebody should have given this book to me when I was a kid instead of the Church of Christ "Now that you're a Christian" pamphlet (which I received from my church as their sole attempt at discipleship. I tried to read it and then hid it under my bed, feeling guilty for years.). One word of advice: Don't feel like you have to do all of these types of prayer at once or even all of these types of prayer ever. It would be easy to get overwhelmed if you are thinking that way.

Waiting in the wings
Nickel and Dimed--Another book that I found at the thrift store for 69 cents.
Simply Christian--Yet another book that I found at the thrift store for 69 cents. This one was actually on my wish list and its not the first thrift store book that I've found from my wish list. I'm a lucky girl.
The Way of the Heart--I've read one book by Henri Nouwen and it was fabulous so I'm looking forward to this one too.
The Orthodox Church--I've been interested in the Orthodox Church since I worked with two Orthodox guys; one is now a priest. So this is my chance to learn more.
Celebration of Discipline--This is written by Richard Foster who also wrote Prayer. Hopefully it will be just as helpful.

Wasting my time with another denomination selector

2007-01-04T17:17:00.000-06:00

In another attempt to pigeon-hole myself, I've taken this denomination selector. Compare this to my theological world view.

Your results for "Christian Traditions Selector"

Percent Rank Item
(100%) 1: Eastern Orthodox
(92%) 2: Anglican/Episcopal/Church of England
(82%) 3: Presbyterian/Reformed
(80%) 4: Roman Catholic
(77%) 5: Lutheran
(67%) 6: Baptist (Reformed/Particular/Calvinistic)
(62%) 7: Congregational/United Church of Christ
(57%) 8: Church of Christ/Campbellite
(55%) 9: Methodist/Wesleyan/Nazarene
(47%) 10: Anabaptist (Mennonite/Quaker etc.)
(47%) 11: Pentecostal/Charismatic/Assemblies of God
(30%) 12: Seventh-Day Adventist
(27%) 13: Baptist (non-Calvinistic)/Plymouth Brethren/Fundamentalist

Folks in need

2007-01-04T15:21:00.000-06:00

This news is a little bit old, but those from Harding will remember Polly Smith, cashier in the cafeteria. I remember working with her during the glory days at Aramark. She and her husband James lost their home in a fire last month. Here's a link to Mark Elrod's blog with more information. A note on how to help from the alumni office:

If you would like to help Miss Polly, you may call the alumni office at 800.477.4312, ext. 1, and we will take your credit card for a donation for her or you may send your check or a card to: Polly Smith, c/o Harding University, Box 12270, Searcy 72149. E-mails of encouragement and support may be sent to: hart-judith@aramark.com

Also, send some prayers up for baby Samuel.

A quote from N. T. Wright

2007-01-03T12:06:00.000-06:00

“For generations the church has been polarized between those who see the main task being the saving of souls for heaven and the nurturing of those souls through the valley of this dark world, on the one hand, and on the other hand those who see the task of improving the lot of human beings and the world, rescuing the poor from their misery.

“The longer that I’ve gone on as a New Testament scholar and wrestled with what the early Christians were actually talking about, the more it’s been borne in on me that that distinction is one that we modern Westerners bring to the text rather than finding in the text. Because the great emphasis in the New Testament is that the gospel is not how to escape the world; the gospel is that the crucified and risen Jesus is the Lord of the world. And that his death and Resurrection transform the world, and that transformation can happen to you. You, in turn, can be part of the transforming work. That draws together what we traditionally called evangelism, bringing people to the point where they come to know God in Christ for themselves, with working for God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. That has always been at the heart of the Lord’s Prayer, and how we’ve managed for years to say the Lord’s Prayer without realizing that Jesus really meant it is very curious.

(from an interview in Christianity Today, 1/07)

Thanks to Mike Cope.

By the way, I'm working on stuff for the blog, but I'm also enjoying time with my family during Christmas break. And I'm reading lots of books thanks to a Christmas gift card.

Nestle selling defective breastmilk substitute

2006-12-18T18:50:00.000-06:00

From: INFACT Canada [mailto:ben@infactcanada.ca]
Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 5:04 PM
To: info@infactcanada.ca
Subject: Nestle selling defective formula

December 15, 2006

Nestlé selling defective formula

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned Nestlé after its Good
Start with Iron formula was found to contain inadequate levels of nutrients.
A sample collected in May contained insufficient amounts of calcium and
phosphorus, which were also at levels lower than those listed on the tin’s
label. The FDA required amount of calcium is 60 milligrams per 100
kilocalories, and Nestlé’s product label claimed 64 milligrams. FDA tests
revealed the actual amount was between 58.2 and 58.6 milligrams.

The agency has posted a notice on its website about the defective formula,
but it has not been recalled. It is unclear why it took nearly seven months
for the results of a sample collected in May, and it is unkown how many
infants have been fed the nutritionally inadequate baby food.

Product errors in Nestlé’s infant formula are not infrequent. At the end of
last year, millions of Nestlé formula was pulled off the shelves in Europe
when it was found they were contaminated with ink. Months earlier Chinese
authorities had discovered that Nestlé formula in that country contained
dangerously high amounts of iodine.

The errors endemic to the process of formula manufacturing are one reason
why breastfeeding is the healthiest method of infant feeding. The
composition of breastmilk is always right, and changes to suit babies’ needs
as they grow. To minimize the health effects of these frequent product
errors, Nestlé should abide by the International Code of Marketing of
Breastmilk Substitutes

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As I have said before, I am boycotting Nestle for their refusal to abide by the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and other offenses.

Bathing in puke, part 2

2006-12-15T18:22:00.000-06:00

Just when I got all of the puke cleaned up I saw this posted by Justin. As Lesley mentioned in the comments for the previous post, the Left Behind game is sexist. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse.

I feel as if I have bathed in puke

2006-12-14T18:45:00.000-06:00

My child threw up in my hand today. That didn't faze me. Reading this made me feel as if I had bathed in puke for five months.

Left Behind: Eternal Forces apparently allows players to kill or convert non-Christians. "Left Behind Games' president, Jeffrey Frichner, says the game actually is pacifist because players lose "spirit points" every time they gun down nonbelievers rather than convert them. They can earn spirit points again by having their character pray," according to the article.

Great. I'm so glad to know that I can go around killing non-believers and all I have to do is pray afterwards. I'm sure God won't be smart enough to figure out my little plan and hold me accountable.

According to the article, "The enemy team includes fictional rock stars and folks with Muslim-sounding names, while the righteous include gospel singers, missionaries, healers and medics." Yes, all rock stars are evil and all people with Muslim sounding names are friends of the anti-Christ. Perhaps the video game makers are teaming up with the GOP to smear folks like Barack Hussein Obama.

Excuse me while I go wash this puke off of myself and then pray that my non-Christian friends will have the grace to not associate me with this filth.

Sorry, again

2006-12-10T00:31:00.000-06:00

I decided to add some tags to a few old posts and it didn't occur to me that each of those posts would be regurgitated for those who are reading via the site feed. Oh well. You live; you learn.

The new hairdo

2006-12-08T19:17:00.000-06:00

A while back, I blogged about my freakish fear of cutting my hair. And I made a rash vow. A very rash vow indeed. I vowed that I would cut my hair above my shoulders. Well, I followed through while I was in California. I didn't cut all of it above my shoulders, but there are enough layers and bangs (yes, bangs, I'm still panicking over that last minute duress induced decision) to suffice. So here I am with a pony tail and bangs:

And here are a couple of pictures with it down. Six inches are gone.

I assure you that I am not angry in those pictures. Still panicking perhaps, but not angry. Incidentally, my father didn't even notice that I had cut it when he saw me.

***************************

In other news, I finally have the opportunity to use blogger beta. Which is great except that I'm going to have to totally change my template to use most of the features. Of course, I intended to work on my template away, but it does seem to be a lot of work.

Thoughts for Advent

2006-12-08T13:33:00.000-06:00

Go check out these thoughts for Advent from Jared Cramer. I'm not easily impressed, but this is good stuff.

Sorry

2006-12-07T21:20:00.000-06:00

Sorry that the code on that previous post is so wacko. I spent enough time fixing the one for myspace and don't feel like fixing this one too.

People hate me

2006-12-07T20:47:00.000-06:00

Thanks to the brutally honest personality test, I now know for sure the truth that I have always suspected.

Crackpot - INTJ

20% Extraversion, 90% Intuition, 73% Thinking, 53% Judging

People hate you.

Paris Hilton hates Nicole Richie. Lex Luther hates Superman. Garfield hates Mondays.

But none these even rates against the insurmountable hate, people have for you.

I mean, you're pretty damn clever and you know it. You love to flaunt your potential. Heard the word "arrogant" lately? How about "jerk?" Or perhaps they only say that behind your back.

That's right. I know I can say this cause you're not going to cry. You're not exactly the most emotional person. You'd rather spend time with your theoretical questions and abstract theories than with other people.

Ever been kissed? Ever even been on a date? Trust me, your inflated ego is a complete turnoff with the opposite sex and I am telling you, you're not that great with relationships as it is. You're never going to be a dude or chick magnet, purely because you're more concerned with yourself than others. Meh. They all hate you already anyway.

How about this- "stubborn?" Hrm? Heard that lately? All those facts which don't fit your theories must just be wrong, right? I mean, really, the vast amounts of time you spend with your head in the clouds...you're just plain strange.

*****************

If you want to learn more about your personality type in a slightly less negative way, check out this.

*****************

The other personality types are as follows...

Loner - Introverted Sensing Feeling Perceiving

Pushover - Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging

Criminal - Introverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving

Borefest - Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging

Almost Perfect - Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving

Freak - Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging

Loser - Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving

Clown - Extraverted Sensing Feeling Perceiving

Sap - Extraverted Sensing Feeling Judging

Commander - Extraverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving

Do Gooder - Extraverted Sensing Thinking Judging

Scumbag - Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving

Busybody - Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging

Prick - Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving

Dictator - Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging

Link: The Brutally Honest Personality Test written by UltimateMaster on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test

The plane ride from hell

2006-12-03T20:59:00.000-06:00

I think I said something in my last post about coming back from visiting relatives refreshed and ready to make this blog fabulous. Ha. The powers that be have had the last laugh.

The trip to California. We'll save the worst for last and start with the plane ride to California. The first flight was uneventful. We arrived in Denver, found our gate, and then went to grab lunch at the Quiznos directly next to our gate. Because we could hear the gate announcements from the restaurant, we decided to eat at a table. Silly us. We were actually hearing the announcements from gates located the equivalent of two city blocks away from us. Because of some architectural oddity, it was impossible to hear the announcements from our own gate, directly next to the restaurant. So we missed our flight.

We chased the restless children around for four hours. Then we boarded our replacement flight where we sat on the very last row where we were no doubt placed to punish us. When we arrived in Sacramento, we found that we were unable to remove one of the kids' carseats that I had so carefully secured in the plane seat. Because we were on the back row where the seats don't recline, there was no give and it was stuck. It took three flight attendants and two pilots to remove the seat. As one of the flight attendants said as the pilots were hopping up and down trying to jiggle the seat free, "That seat was secured by a force greater than both of you guys combined: a mother."

The return trip. We thought that the return trip had to be better as long as we didn't miss a flight. Once again, silly us. The first flight was ok except that, as we were descending, the baby's ears wouldn't pop. Of course, mama knew what the problem was and she knew how to fix it. All baby had to do was suck on something. But baby would have none of it. Normally health and stranger danger conscious mama even shoved a lolly pop given by a fellow passenger into baby's mouth, to no avail. Of course, this would be the perfect sermon illustration about trusting the mama-like God even when we don't understand exactly what She is doing. But I digress.

Upon arriving in Denver we found that we had to go to a different terminal which was accessible only by train. So we ran. Grandma ran pushing a stroller piled high with carseats and scrawny mama ran with a 43 pound child on her back and a 22 pound child on her front. And we barely made it.

Drenched in sweat, I secured the carseats, the plane taxied and then...nothing. We just sat. The children became restless and were let out of their seats. People were allowed to use the restrooms. Then we were informed that we had used so much fuel sitting there that we need to return and get more. So we did. We were told that visibility was so bad that we had to wait to leave. So we waited. For three hours we waited on the plane. There was no water left for the lavatory sinks by the time we left. And when we left, the visibility was actually much worse. My suspicion that we had been lied to was confirmed when I heard the rumor we had been delayed by another plane which had slid off of the runway.

I don't think that I can stand to recount every tedious detail of the horrid flight, but the following are a few of the choice moments. Both of the children were screaming as we took off. Neither child wanted grandma; they both only wanted mama, but they were both strapped into window seats. So mama twisted herself like a pretzel to accommodate both of them, but, alas, both continued to fuss. The man sitting behind us pulled his head into his shirt like a turtle as if a thin layer of cotton could shield him from the screeching. A woman in front of us literally broke down screaming, "Oh my God, somebody do something. Can't somebody give that baby a cracker?!" She seriously sounded like she was going to hyperventilate. As the flight attendant came up the aisle serving drinks, I overheard two people begging for aspirin and she said that they were not the first. After the flight ended, the seatmate of the hyperventilating woman vowed to never have children. Apparently, my children are a natural, hormone-free, non-abortifacient method of birth control.

We finally made it home at 2am. It was a bit surreal to sit in the living room while two totally awake children ate burritos from Taco Bell at 2am. But it was wonderful to be finally home. We won't be stepping foot on a plane anytime soon.

Check back in two and a half weeks

2006-11-12T19:37:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday I'll be leaving for a two week vacation to California. My husband will stay home and guard the fort while my mom, the girls, and I fly out to California to visit my grandparents and my brother (who is looking for alternative transportation after having his car stolen, poor guy). Because my grandparents are so far removed from modern ways of communication that they still use rotary phones, I'll not be online for two weeks. So I'll come back to post in early December, hopfully refreshed and full of good things to say. I also plan on doing some updating to the site design and content. I didn't realize how bright and blinding the colors can be on some monitors until I checked it on someone else's computer. So come back expecting fun changes.

Forget about theology. Let's talk fashion sense.

2006-11-05T22:52:00.000-06:00

While this is disrespectful on so many levels, perhaps it will be a welcome departure from the debates over Presiding Bishop Schori's theology and the rending of the Anglican Communion. So what do you think of Schori's investiture vestiments? She seems to have the clown eucharist motif going on. According the the Episcopal News Service's report, "Jefferts Schori's vestments were designed and made by Victor Challenor and the Rev. Paul Woodrum of Challwood Studio in Brooklyn, New York. The design, meant to represent dawn over the earth, is rendered in shade of blue and green with orange and yellow." If you think that's colorful, check out her All Saints Sunday outfit.

If someone gave you a thousand dollars, what would you do with it?

2006-11-02T20:35:00.000-06:00

These are the options I'm looking at, in no particular order:

Get high speed internet. I'm really tired of dial up. We can both be online at the same time and people will actually be able to call us. The kids won't have to come and fuss at me while they are waiting for the games on PBS kids to take literally five minutes to load. And I'll actually be able to check out the podcasts and utube junk that people have been putting on their blogs. And hopefully I'll waste less time online because I won't be waiting for the page to load everytime I click on a link. But then again maybe I'll waste more time because its so easy.

Get a membership to the Y. This is obviously not for weight loss purposes. But maybe I could get in shape. They have babysitting. Even if I went and hid in the locker room with a book it would be glorious.

Buy books. Think of how many books I could buy with a thousand dollars. I always manage to charge up huge fines at the stupid library anyway. I might as well just buy the books and keep them or sell them later.

Pay down my obscene school loans. Not a very fun option. But it would be the responsible thing to do.

Buy my dear husband a crappy commuter car. Then I won't have to share with him anymore. But it really hasn't been that bad to move back to sharing a car. And it would probably be so junky it would break down often and I'd still have to drop him at work. Can you tell that I'm not too excited about this option?

Put it in the future house fund. Another boring yet practical choice that would be enjoyable in the long run.

Donate it to a worthy cause. You all know I don't want to do this. I like my selfish options better. Yes, Indie is selfish.

Buy plane tickets to Boston. We could see friends and family. We could hang with the folks at Brookline Church and Edgewood Church. I could drop in at Andover Newton and show off the kids. On the other hand, maybe some of these people should come see us. But I miss Boston. The only time to go is Christmas and I want to stay home for Christmas. And the fam won't come down here because they have this Celebration of Jesus thing. Don't they know that Christmas is supposed to be about consumeristic greed. Bah humbug.

Put it in the future grad school fund. I was just telling Jesus yesterday that if he wanted me to go to grad school he would have to rain down money from heaven. The return address on the envelope didn't say anything about heaven. But maybe it was a sign. Hmm...

Vote in the comments. Which choice or combination of choices do you recommend?

Church of Christ vs. Episcopal Church

2006-10-30T23:27:00.000-06:00

I've been meaning to link to this for a while because its really funny. These are my favorites:

Singing:
CoC - 728B anyone?
EC - To be inclusive we shall only sing as well as the worst singer among us.

Order of Worship printout:
CoC - Nice concise detailing of today's service.
EC - Impossible (but often necessary) to hold song book, bible, order of worship and prayer book at the same time.

Praying:
CoC - Kneel if you want to be stared at.
EC - Kneel or die.

After service:
CoC - How's life? Where are we eating?
EC - Get out, run!

Church of Christ vs. Episcopal Church

Sometimes I think that this blog is turning into my freakish online confessional

2006-10-30T22:19:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I hear about other people's fears and I think that they are so weird. At one church I used to go to there was a woman who wouldn't come to church because she was afraid that someone would break into her house while she was there. I heard about another woman who would drive for hours instead of taking a ferry to visit family because she was afraid of the ocean. Well I have a crazy fear too. Here it is. Don't laugh. I'm afraid to cut my hair.

I have my reasons for this that I'm not going to get into. It is enough to say that at this point in my life I need to get over this. Its not normal to only cut your hair once every two years. So I'm vowing now to get my hair cut above my shoulders. I think I'm going to need someone to hold my hand while I do this. Seriously.

The Holy Spirit has been kicking me in the ass, once again

2006-10-28T21:08:00.000-05:00

I was feeling a little guilty that my first major involvement in my church had me up in the front instead of down on my knees scrubbing the toilets or some other such lowly thing. But never underestimate the Holy Spirit, for the Spirit will hunt you down and deal with you. You can run but you can't hide. At least I can't.

The Sunday before last was my first time in an Episcopal congregation to help serve communion. As I was going down the line, bringing the cup to each person and saying, "The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation," I reached someone that I had previously had a bit of a conflict with. I can't explain what I felt exactly, but it was an amazing sense of our unity as the body of Christ. It was very cool.

The following Sunday I got to serve again. The night before, as I was falling asleep, a memory came back to me. It was near the beginning of my freshman year in college. I signed up for a ministry that would allow me and a group of two to four people to go work with a rural church. The elders at the church that we were assigned wanted me to teach the teens. I was very excited. I love to teach and it was not an opportunity that comes to women very often in Churches of Christ. Then the leader of the group refused to let me because he didn't want a woman teaching young men. The elders were unhappy, but they went along with it. Not only was I barred from teaching, the leader of our group blocked me from doing much of anything, all the while not doing much himself.

When this memory came up I became both angry and sad. I cried a little. And I dwelled on how much I hated that guy, whose name I'm not even sure that I remember. Then I heard this voice in my head that said, "Can you forgive him for that?" "I don't want to forgive him," I said. And the voice repeated, "Can you forgive him for that?" "No," I said emphatically, knowing instantly that it was a lie. Of course I could forgive him, but I didn't want to. "So are you going to receive Eucharist tomorrow with a spirit of unforgiveness," the voice asked. I had a fleeting thought of not receiving at all if it meant that I had to forgive that man, but the voice reminded me that I would be serving on the altar. What right did I have to do that if I couldn't forgive my brother?

I thought of Matt. 5:23-24 which tells us that Jesus taught us to be reconciled with our brothers before bringing our gifts to the altar. There is no way to physically get together with someone and be reconciled when you can't even remember his name. But I needed to forgive him. Just as one man said to Jesus, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24) I had to say, "I forgive; help me overcome my unforgiveness." God is in the process of healing that wound in me. And I served communion with a clean conscience.

We have a bishop

2006-10-28T19:07:00.000-05:00

The Rev. John C. Bauerschmidt was elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee today. He quotes folks like John Donne so he must be a great guy, right? At least I can be confirmed now. I was starting to wonder if we would ever be able to agree.

I need this tea

2006-10-27T21:07:00.000-05:00

I really need some Dilmah Mango tea and will kiss the lovely feet of anyone who will deliver it to me. Seriously, I'm wanting it that much.

Instead of blogging, I've been...

2006-10-26T21:57:00.000-05:00

Instead of blogging, I've been working against a killer deadline to sew a Halloween costume for a fabulous little girl. Its imperfect but wearable and not too bad for the first thing I've sewn in a full decade.

On Sunday our church celebrated Oktoberfest with beer and brats. I can now officially say that I am a former vegetarian. I even put sauerkraut on top. I used to hate meat and sauerkraut and beer. Grandma was right; these Episcopalians are corrupting me.

In order to help uphold the church ladies' new rule regarding left over alcohol at the church building, we graciously took home a couple of leftover bottles of Sam Adams Oktoberfest.

Here is a picture of the dancing that the accordion music inspired. I'm still getting used to this dancing and drinking at church thing. I did hear recently that a Church of Christ in the area allowed their building to be used for a swing dance. Perhaps I should leak this information to piney or one of the brotherhood papers and watch the maelstrom that ensues.

After Oktoberfest, we headed out to our awesome organic CSA farm for a hot dog roast (veggie dogs this time), hayride and pumpkin picking.

The relic of the holy prepuce

2006-10-22T00:50:00.000-05:00

I'm so traumatized by my discovery of the supposed existence of the relic of the holy prepuce that I cannot write anything coherent about it.

Check out what I wrote on Cool People Care

2006-10-20T11:26:00.000-05:00

Cool People Care picked up my idea about donating online to Nashville Rescue Mission. Go over and check out the short (99 word) article and check out the info about me on the CPC blog. Now that I've been outed as a poet, I might have to write some new stuff.

What's your (Christian) theological worldview?

2006-10-19T14:34:00.000-05:00

The last time that I took this quiz, I came out with emerging/postmodern on top and RC in second place, so I guess it depends on my mood. I kind of doubt the accuracy of this thing. Some of the questions needed to be essay questions. And the Karl Barth question was a little difficult considering that I've never gotten around to reading his stuff. (Please don't tell my father-in-law. He did his MA thesis on Barth and preaching and would no doubt be traumatized if he knew.) Of course the results could explain why I am going to a Catholic-ish Episcopal church. Hmm....

You scored as Roman Catholic. You are Roman Catholic. Church tradition and ecclesial authority are hugely important, and the most important part of worship for you is mass. As the Mother of God, Mary is important in your theology, and as the communion of saints includes the living and the dead, you can also ask the saints to intercede for you.

Roman Catholic

82%

Emergent/Postmodern

79%

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

79%

Neo orthodox

71%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

50%

Classical Liberal

46%

Reformed Evangelical

39%

Modern Liberal

32%

Fundamentalist

21%

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

Examination of Conscience: Part One

2006-10-17T23:20:00.001-05:00

Several months ago a copy of this examination of conscience by Doris Donnelly was handed out as we left church. It is a way to examine whether our action and inaction is in step with Christ. As the author says in the introduction: "What follows is an examination of conscience and consciousness based on the Beatitudes. It makes sense only if we truly believe that the teachings of Jesus have practical applicability in the world in which each of us lives and breathes. If we admit that relevance, we will find enough power in our fidelity to these counsels to renew the face of the earth."

Each Tuesday I plan to look at one question from this examination of conscience. Sometimes I may have much to say and other times not so much.

The first beatititude is "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The question is: Do I fear being poor, in spirit or otherwise, and prefer to be rich in money, brains, or influence?

First of all, I have to question what being poor in spirit means. I'm not entirely sure, but I'm thinking that it has something to do with realizing one's real spiritual state before God. When we fully comprehend our helplessness and inability to be pure before God, we cannot continue to be prideful.

My answer is "yes". I do fear being poor in spirit (and money, brains and influence). If I cannot base my identity on one of these things then on what must I base my identity? Only God. Which requires much more trust than I feel ready to live by just yet.

Fear of praying

2006-10-16T13:55:00.000-05:00

After reading my article below, click here for an article from a woman with a similar experience with the fear of praying after being brought up in Churches of Christ. This article really resonates with my experience.

Confession: I went to a Church of Christ last night

2006-10-16T12:01:00.000-05:00

Many of you know that I have been going to an Episcopal Church for a year and a half and have not been a member of a Church of Christ in nearly three and a half years, and that was no ordinary Church of Christ. So it was a strange unexpected feeling that welled up in me Saturday night. I felt that I had to go worship with some folks at a local CofC.

First let me say that all Churches of Christ are not the same. They are not all the fundamentalist, fear inducing, woman hating places that I experienced as a child. And all Church of Christ people are not bad. Actually, most of them are good. Perhaps a little misguided, but probably no more than the rest of us. While I harbor more than a few scars from my years in Churches of Christ, I also owe much to them. I was brought to faith there. I first heard the voice of God there. And I met my husband at a Church of Christ college.

I'm happy that I left the Churches of Christ. But there was one thing that I missed so much that I had to go back, just once, yesterday evening: beautifully sung old school a capella hymns. While all Episcopal Churches don't have organ music with a dearth of actual people singing, mine does. And it gets a little old.

Going to a Church of Christ after so long was interesting. I planned to sit on the back row. Silly me. I forgot that there are always a few people who block off the last row so that you have to climb over them to sit back there. I wanted to be able to make a quick escape so I sat three rows up on the end of the pew adjacent to the center isle. It was the best that I could do.

The first thing that struck me as I was settling in to my padded pew was the rumble of voices around me. Everyone was greeting one another and chatting. In our Episcopal Church, people come in quietly and reverently kneel and pray before the service starts. Or at least they sit there quietly.

Then there was the singing. It made me feel nostalgic. Each song was one that I knew by heart and the congregation sang quite well. It felt like I had gone back to my dysfunctional home. And it was kind of nice.

Then the sermon came. Wow. I forgot how very different sermons in the Church of Christ are. There is a sound that each Church of Christ preacher carries, a cadence that felt both soothing like a mama rocking her baby and oppressive like a large man had sat upon me. Our priest has been told to keep her sermons to ten minutes or less. This seems crazy to me. In Churches of Christ I've heard more than a few 45 minute sermons stateside and hour and a half long ones in Jamaica. The preacher at the congregation I visited kept his sermon to 25 to 30 minutes but it still felt long. Perhaps because he packed in five points based only on eight verses of Philippians.

The many, many points that were packed in along with wandering on tangent-like examples kept me from remembering much of the sermon. The one thing that I remember is his example about praying for one another and building up one another. A woman once took him aside and said, "Since I can't pray for you and your family in your presence, I'm going to tell you what I pray when I pray for you." I'm sure that the preacher had a point other than the one I took away: the sadness of a woman not being allowed to talk to God when a man could hear it. I grew up in Churches of Christ, unable to say a prayer out loud if any male were in the room, even a little boy. To this day, I harbor a fear of praying extemporaneous prayers in public. A little embarrassing confession is that I still feel very uncomfortable even praying privately with my husband. This is one of my fundamentalist wounds that I'm working on.

While my mind wandered during the sermon, I noticed the layout of the front of the building and how it was a comment on the importance of things in Churches of Christ. At the highest place was the baptistry. Below that was the pulpit. And below that was the communion table. Only men were allowed to enter into these areas. In contrast, my Episcopal parish places Jesus on the cross where the Church of Christ congregation places the baptistry. We have the altar where the Eucharist is consecrated in place of the pulpit in the Church of Christ. And we have the pulpit on the level that the communion table is placed except that our pulpit is off to the side.

I managed to make it out of the door having spoken to only three people, all of whom asked if I was just passing through and when I said that I lived in Nashville they told me to come back. I was kind of relieved to not have to further explain myself, but it also would have been interesting to see their reactions.

My next scheduled visit to a Church of Christ is in November when I will visit family and attend the congregation that I grew up in. Wish me luck. I admit that I'm a bit afraid. I can't remain anonymous there. But as our priest said last Wednesday at our midweek service, quoting 2 Tim. 1:7, God has not given us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power.

I layread and survived

2006-10-15T21:44:00.000-05:00

Today was the day that I was initiated as layreader. I read a psalm and served the "blood of Christ, the cup of salvation." All went well. I didn't fall flat on my face spilling everything all over the place like I dreamed the other night. That's a good thing. I was a little confused during communion though. My apologies to the acolyte who had to drink from the cup that hadn't been wiped clean. I'm sure I'll do better with a little more practice.

Its so easy to feed a homeless person

2006-10-09T11:23:00.001-05:00

You can be incredibly lazy and still feed a homeless person. A few moments ago I donated enough to provide five people with a hot meal and I did it while sitting in front of my computer. For only $1.84 you can provide one meal for a homeless person in Nashville through Nashville Rescue Mission.

Of course it would be great to do more than this. The rescue mission has some special needs for items that can be dropped off. Or you could even go down there and volunteer your time.

Your challenge for today is to check out the Nashville Rescue Mission website and donate some meals. If I check my site stats and don't see any outclicks for these links I'm going to be mad people so get off of my blog and do something good.

A special thanks to Cool People Care for the link to Nashville Rescue Mission.

Any requests?

2006-10-08T22:37:00.000-05:00

My posts seem to be much more popular when my readers choose what I should post about. So I will promise to post about the first three topics suggested (maybe more than that if I have time). You can pick absolutely anything and I promise to post on it. So leave me a comment with your fabulous ideas.