Oprah on Marriage

I'm an admitted Oprah fan. I haven't bought completely into Oprahism, but I do think she has done some significant good through her power.

Today's show was very interesting. The topic was marriage. Specifically, it was warning of the "dangers" of marriage. I'm still kind of trying to process everything that they said, so bear with me...

The dangers they spoke of was the threat of "losing yourself" in the marriage. The whole idea of morphing into person that you think you should be-- ideal mom, wife, etc, and denying "your own truth." Haha, this new age spiritual language cracks me up. But I understand and appreciate the point.

Although Oprah pointed out repeatedly that she isn't "anti-marriage," it sure didn't come off sounding that way! I was a little shocked because I got the general impression that the panelists and professionals honestly believed that you could get married and still retain the same independence and sense of self that you always had.

I'm all for being a strong woman, but you've got to be kidding me! I shouldn't be surprised considering the way that our culture views marriage these days. But isn't marriage the union of two souls? The whole "flesh of my flesh", "leaving and cleaving", and "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine" type of thing?

Modern wisdom is now telling us that waiting longer to get married is the best idea. I can certainly see the wisdom in that (because let's face it, when you're young you're stupid... haha, that's kind of a joke :) ). But I also think it can be a hinderance, because you spend all that time developing your life based on you and your dreams and desires. Maybe even more so for women because they feel they must be "strong" to validate their singleness. So when it comes time to unite your life with another, it's probably going to be harder to do so without feeling like you are "giving up" yourself.

It's interesting to think about. Certainly our culture needs to re-think our ideas on love, marriage, and commitment. Independence is great, but we can't let ourselves get into a pattern of thinking, "I am number one. It's all about me and how you can fit into my life, because don't expect me to change for you." Of course this notion comes as the pendulum has swung from the other direction of women being objectified and repressed for so so so soooooo long. I guess I can only speak for myself, but sometimes you can feel like a traitor to your gender if you want to submit in any way to your husband. Which is also sad.

Oh my, why can't the pendulum just stay in the middle for a while. :)

Parable of the Monkey and the Fish

I love this little parable.

A typhoon had temporarily stranded a monkey on an island. In a secure, protected place on the shore, while waiting for the raging waters to recede, he spotted a fish swimming against the current. It seemed obvious to the monkey that the fish was struggling and in need of assistance. Being of kind heart, the monkey resolved to help the fish.

A tree precariously dangled over the spot where the fish seemed to be struggling. At considerable risk to himself, the monkey moved far out on a limb, reached down and snatched the fish from the threatening waters. Immediately scurrying back to the safety of his shelter, he carefully laid the fish on dry ground. For a few moments the fish showed excitement, but soon settled into a peaceful rest.

Joy and satisfaction swelled inside the monkey. He had successfully helped another creature.

--Duane Elmer, in "Cross-Cultural Servanthood"

Soap Box Derby

I currently reside in a border town-- a city half in one state and half in the other. This oddity reveals itself in several ways, one being that half the city is wet (sells alcohol) and the other half is dry (doesn't sell alcohol). So when you drive down State Line Road, there are liquor stores lining one side and not the other.

This has been a source of contention for restaurant owners for years. On the dry side, in order to buy alcohol at a restaurant you have to buy a "membership" in order for them to sell it legally.

Well apparently the issue is up for a vote now. And of course, this means there is all kinds of politicking going on. The visible campaign is the one against having my state becoming "wet." There are lots of yard signs and bumper stickers and other propaganda around town.

What I find interesting is that many local churches have taken up the cause. I shouldn't be surprised... American Christianity has historically shunned alcohol. But I also think that's funny; definitely one of those cultural issues that we've made doctrine. Don't misunderstand-- the Bible certainly takes a stance against drunkenness (as well as anything in excess-- money, food...), but I'm not sure where the idea came from that alcohol is inherently evil.

I have heard strange things taught in churches about alcohol. I've heard people attempt to make convincing arguments that Jesus never drank wine, or that the water he transformed at Canaa was just some kind of magic grape juice, but certainly not fermented. :) Several churches I've been involved with "don't allow" any of the leadership to drink, no matter how moderate they may be. Even my dear old alma mater doesn't allow students to drink after they're of legal age.

Where on earth did this come from? Doesn't this smack of legalism to anyone else? I'm reminded of the passage in Colossians 2:

Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Colossians 2:20-23

And of course Jesus had something to say on the matter as well:

You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions... You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!... Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that... Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside you can defile you by going into you. Rather, it is what comes out of you that defiles you. Mark 7: 8-16

I know alcohol has caused a lot of problems for a lot of people, and that is a shame and I'm sorry for it. But I also believe we've made a "false god" of sorts out of abstinence from alcohol.

The campaign rages on here in T-town, and I'm pretty sure the vote will go to keep my state "dry." But I hope that people aren't fooled into believing this is somekind of holy war-- the majority of the funding for the materials of this campaign is coming from "other state" businesses that hope to keep raking in money from alcohol sales. But, as often happens in politics, if you make people think that your cause is an issue of God and country, then you can win votes. An ingenius-- but horribly evil-- tactic.

Actions Speak Louder

Well, I haven't been offered that full time preaching position yet. :) But tonight I did volunteer to teach a ladies' Bible class in two weeks at my parents' church. This should be interesting! :) As I told my dad, this could be the beginning or the ending of my illustrious preaching ministry. Ha! If you know me, you'll know how to read that...

My assigned topic is "Actions speak louder than words." What a shame, seeing as how I have nothing to say on that subject... ;)

Any great thoughts from you folks as to what I should include in my topic? Any great quotes or passages or songs or movies or what not?

Yippie!!!

Since it's been way too long since you've heard about my gastrointestinal system, I have an update! :) Today I went for my first checkup in three months and Dr. Z is very happy with my progress and bloodwork and appearance and everything! He has given me an all clear to enter back into a fully functional, normal life! PRAISE GOD!

And as positively wonderful as that is, the most exciting part of the day is that I got my feeding tube out today!!! Lots of exclamation points!!!! I hope you've never had to have one, but hopefully you can appreciate that it is a GREAT relief to have it removed. The feeding tube is a wonderful tool and served it's purpose very well for me, but it was time for us to part ways. After having a nearly literal "thorn in the side" for 5 months, it is pure joy to be done with it! As soon as I sat up from the table after it was removed, I could tell the pain and soreness that were practically immediatley gone. Please pray that I will never have to have one again, as I will pray that you never experience it, either.

The one not as good note, from the day was that my doctor wants me to have a test done tomorrow to be sure everything is okay. The ONE GI test that I have never had done, and hoped to not experience til I was 50. I'll let you figure it out. Wish me luck!

And thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement through all of this. Just as pain shared is lessened, joy shared is magnified!

A little taste...

I love Sundays. Well, I love one particular event on Sundays.

The Lord's supper, the Eucharist, communion, whatever you call it-- is a time of great depth and importance and meaning.

Pages upon pages have been written on this topic, but today I'll focus on one of many reasons why it's special for me.

I imagine that time as a sacred place where Christians all over the world are united at the table with Jesus. As I reflect, faces and names and memories of my brothers and sisters throughout the world go through my mind. And even though we're far in geography, culture, and language, we're together in spirit for that time.

I've left pieces of my heart all over the world and my friends have taken some with them as they've gone out, too. Goodbyes are awful, but reunions are sweet. One day we'll witness the greatest reunion of all, but for now I think I get a little taste of it every Sunday morning.

Yet another time when saudade is just too perfect...

Captivating

We're going from music recommendations to a book recommendation (obviously I'm a little vain about my taste ;) ).

But really, yesterday I started reading "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge, and it's fantastic. If you fall into one of the following categories, you should read it:

If you're...

• a woman
• related to a woman
• married or engaged to a woman
  
• dating a woman
• friends with a woman
• have a daughter
• or one day would like to fall into one of those last four categories

... you need to read this book! I guess that covers just about everyone. :)

I'm only about halfway through, but it has already touched me deeply. It talks about the deep needs and desires of a woman's soul, and how they're not signs of weakness but characteristics of God shining through in us.

A lot of books about Christian womanhood deal mainly with being a good wife, good mother, or preparing to become one of those.

This book fills a desperate need in our world and especially in the church-- the validation of femininity. That's the word that keeps going through my mind as I read... I feel validated.

So, this is an official sojochick recommendation. Thanks to Mer for telling me about it. I just might have to read "Wild at Heart" now (the men's version written by John Eldredge). Lord knows I could use some education to the male mindset. :)

The Good Stuff, Vol. 1

I've never been really "into" music. My family never really listened to music when I was going up, save at church and those Acappella tapes on long car trips (can I get an amen from the CofCers? :) ). But I think while I was in Japan I kind of changed. Music became my companion and my link to home and expression of thoughts I couldn't formulate. And I was surrounded by music lovers, which also helped.

I'm always very reluctant to buy new CDs, because a CD is a big investment (yeah, I'm cheap) for a lot of songs you're probably not sure of (since maybe 1 or 2 songs per CD gets on the radio). But over the years at times I have struck gold in CD investment, and there are some I just love and don't think I could live without.

It's hard to be a good CD! For me to be really happy with a CD, I only allow 1, ~maybe~ 2 mediocre songs. But I have realized lately that I've built up a treasury of good CDs.

This series will be my list of "good CDs" that I highly recommend. I've highlighted my favorite songs, but remember, they're pretty much all great!

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For the first installment in this series, I want to start with the four artists whose entire treasury of work I love. :) But I'm going to slightly limit myself and recommend a few specific albums. But if you'd like to take my word for it and buy all of their stuff, go for it! ;) And note that all of these are singer/songwriters, so they're writing all their own music. I guess I have a soft spot for writers.

Chris Rice-- Have I mentioned on the blog that I like Chris Rice? :)

• "Past the Edges"-- you've probably heard, "Smellin' Coffee" and "Cartoon Song" (yes, I heard the moan); lesser known gems, "Naive," "Thirsty," "Missin' You"
• "Smell the Color 9"-- you've probably heard, "Smell the Color 9," "The Face of Christ"; lesser known gems, "Belong," "Coming Home Tonight," "My Prayer"
• "Living Room Sessions"-- an instrumental CD of classic hymns in arrangements by Chris Rice, it's all fantastic
• "Run the Earth, Watch the Sky"-- my favorite!; you've probably heard, "The Other Side of the Radio," "Come to Jesus,"; lesser known gems, "Everything's OK," "Wonder," "Smile," "My Cathedral"

Relient K-- Incredibly clever lyrics, managing to be both funny and poignant. And fun to rock out to now and then. :)

• "Two Lefts Don't Make a Right, but Three Do"-- gems, "Getting Into You,", "Mood Rings," "Overthinking," "Am I Understood?"
• "MmHmm"-- gems, "The One I'm Waiting For," "Let It All Out," "More Than Useless," "Be My Escape"

Derek Webb-- Modern day prophet, plain and simple.

• "She Must and Shall Go Free"-- gems, "Lover," "Beloved," "Wedding Dress," "The Church"
• "Mockingbird"-- gems, "A King and a Kingdom," "A New Law," "Rich Young Ruler"

Stephen Curtis Chapman-- Touching songs and one of the most beautiful voices in music.

• "All About Love"-- gems, "How Do I Love Her?" "I Will Be Here," "I'm Gonna Be," "I'll Take Care of You," When Love Takes You In"
• "Speechless"-- gems, "What I Really Want to Say," "The Invitation," "Speechless," "Great Expectations"

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Any "amens" or "what are you thinkings"? :) Are there any artists you guys feel are worthy of buying the whole collection?

Sacrifice and Self-Searching

God gives us material for sacrifice. Sometimes the sacrifice makes little sense to others, but when offered to God is always accepted.
~Elisabeth Elliot

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
~Ps. 139:23-24

I just got on my travelin' shoes...*

Methinks I owe my public an update on what I've been up to lately. I've been out and about!

I went to Stephenville a week ago for the wedding of a dear friend, Gina, and it was great but a little strange. The trip was strange, not the wedding. :) The wedding was beautiful, simply stunning. I think I say this after most weddings, but Gina was the most beautiful bride ever. The service was simple but elegant, and I was so blessed to be able to share that sacrament with them.


Old friends-- Becky, Carrie, Mara, Gina (the bride), Nina, Ann

Going "home" after 5 years is peculiar... you've never seen such surprised faces as the people at church, whose expressions went from the "polite stranger" face, to the "I know you but where from" face, to the "OH MY GOODNESS!" face. :) It was great. I got to play whirlwind catch up with lots of people, and it was really interesting to try to sum up the past 5 years in 30 seconds. Hahaha, let's think-- I finished college, went to Brazil 3 times, been seriously ill twice, lived in Japan and don't really have a set future. That's about it!

I guess my whole experience was validated when one old friend saw me, ran up and gave me a big hug and said, "Welcome home!" Home. Yes. It is.

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After a few days in T-town I suddenly and quite unexpectedly made a trip to Searcy, Arkansas, most often known for being home to the mighty fighting Bison-- Harding University. I got the chance to visit with several people I hadn't seen since my last campaign to Brazil in 2004 (we worked with a Harding campaign). I had lovely time on the campus, which is always simply stunning at this time of the year with the blooming flowers, and got to remanisce over lots of good times. I had wonderful hostesses (muita obrigada Cynthia, Angela, and Kelly!). And I got to see my dear A-Lo (aka Amanda).

Amanda, Cynthia and I lived together for a week of our campaign in the city of Itu. Our homestay was actually a woman who was out of the country and left us her condo. I have a thousand funny stories about that week, which had they been shared with anyone else would have made it miserable, but with those two we can still laugh hysterically about the night we got stuck in the elevator or when the key broke in the door at 10pm or our complete and utter lack of food in the house.


Cynthia, Ann and Amanda attempting to scrounge up dinner


Ann and Cynthia


Annie Pooh and A-Lo (Ann and Amanda, and there are only 2 people in the world allowed to call me Annie Pooh ;) )

I love catching up with old friends.

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Back to OKC next week!

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*Gold star to the person who can identify the title reference! ;)

Self-Indulgent AI Blog

I am hooked on American Idol. This is my first season to ever watch an episode, except for a random night in Singapore when I saw Bo Bice perform "I Think I Love You" by the Partridges (Simon hated it, I thought it was awesome). AI and Desperate Housewives are the only two shows I'm currently feeling any loyalty to. And after resisting thusfar, I have decided to give into the temptation and write my own meaningless opinions down.

My favorite remaining contestant is Elliot Yamin. I think he has an amazing voice, and America needs to get with the program. The Elliot program. But I know he's not going to win-- America's too superficial-- and he has been in the bottom 3 for the last two weeks. Are you people nuts?! But whatever happens, I hope to be buying his CD someday. I became keen on him when he sang one my all time favorite songs, "Moody's Mood for Love" a couple of months ago in the early Hollywood stuff. That song is hard but super cool and he did it bea-u-tifully. :) He's overcome a lot of medical disabilities, and I can surely feel for that! The man's deaf in one ear and still sings on key more than the other contestants!!! But more than sympathy, come on folks! He's the best voice on the show!

But the one who I think will win it all is Chris Daugherty. He's cool, he's got the image and the attitude and the "Creed"ish (or if you're into Third Day, Mac Powell) voice. He really won me over by pulling off that version of "Walk the Line." And you've got to love a family man. :) But-- I think his winning American Idol could kill his rocker credibility.

Kelly Pickler-- cute, I guess, if you're into syrupy obliviousness. I still can't believe she had the cajones to sing "Bohemian Rhapsody;" that song should definitely be left to karaoke rooms (right Jeshika!). But hey, she kind of pulled it off. I'm with Simon, "That should have been horrible-- but was alright."

I have low toleration for prima donas, so Paris has gots to go. She did do well with "The Show Must Go On" this week, though. But good grief, she's 16. Please don't dress her like a dominatrix.

Oh and what are we to do with Ace. I think he's very beautiful, in a lovely kind of way. Great smile, great eyes, great skin... but the hair puts him over the top. It's all too perfect. And the smile he gives after a performance when he's holding up the fingers for the number to dial is about as plastered on as possible. He's got to go. Soon. He has only impressed me once, way back when he sang "Butterflies" by Michael Jackson. And I think all of America gagged when he fondled his scar during a song (well, except Paula). That totally blackballed him. But he is beautiful. :)

Taylor Hicks, Taylor, Taylor... what are we to do with you. You came in so cool and edgy and different and weird. Now you just seem to be whoring out your weirdness. No more random "Soul Patrol!!" shoutouts or spasmish dancing. We liked that! That's what made you quirky! And play the dang harmonia-- the people have spoken!!!!!

And Kitty Kat... I think her voice is fabulous and the stylists have made her hot. Big strong beautiful voice-- reminds me of Christina Aguelira (not the image-- the voice). A jazzy Christina.

Bucky, we were sad to see you go. I liked you. Ace should have gone before you. You had a perfect song choice with "Real Good Man."

Mandisa, seriously, what was up with that?! Not the greatest song choice, but hello! Mandia and Elliot easily outsing the competetion, I think. But I think Mandisa is a super gracious and Godly woman who will do fabulously after this.

From the "How we miss thee, thou didst leave us too soon" files-- Sway, Gideon and Will Makar

One note to makeup-- last week the males-- especially Elliot, Chris, and Ace, were far beyond the amount of makeup a man can wear and get away with. WAY to much eyeliner, WAY too much pancake foundation.

As for the faculty and staff of American Idol, I would like to say:
I love you Ryan Seacrest! :)
Paula, lay off the "medication" or whatever it is that's making you act drunk. Stop flirting with Simon. Stop having diarreah of the mouth when trying to find ways to describe the performances.
Randy, you're cool, but the namedropping and the "dog"ing need to be trimmed back. :)
Simon, I will grant that you are usually right. But instances like the night where you openly admitted you didn't like country music or "not getting" Mandisa's Christian song are really subjective and stupid. "Not getting it" doesn't mean they didn't sing well. And yes, we all know that you make millions every minute off of this show, so stop acting like you despise the process.

The Good (?) Life

“If you find God with ease, perhaps it is not God you have found.”

— Thomas Merton

Although I have not been through anything uncommon to man, I have seen some trauma in my life. And on bad days, usually in church, I look around and think, "These people have no idea what it's like to be broken. They sing songs about loving God and having faith when they don't know pain."

This is unfair on a couple of levels. First of all, I don't know everyone's story. Who am I to say what they have and haven't been through.

Secondly, I had an epiphany a few weeks ago. I thought to myself, "what if their trial is having an easy life? What if the obstacle of their life and faith is not having to struggle for it?"

My faith has been purified and refined (and will continued to be) through struggle. I'm an idolater at heart, and it is always tempting for me to put my faith in things more tangible than God. Whether it's my friends, my roots, my home, my education, my health, my ethics, my career... at some point I have been broken in each of those issues and have been forced to see that they aren't my Savior... they aren't going to be unwaveringly faithful to me.

Although I certainly would have never asked for some of the trials I've seen, I'm grateful for the opportunity to be broken in the hands of the Master then reconstructed in his design.

I think it's natural instinct to want to protect ourselves and look out for number one, but maybe we should start living with a little more reckless abandon in order for God to use those experiences to shape us.

Hodgepodge and so forth

Just got back from a fantastic week in OKC. I think I talked to about 1000 people during my stay and loved every minute of it. I imagine heaven as being like the forum on OC's campus in springtime, and we will just shoot the breeze under the bright blue sky against the green trees and a slight breeze (alright, so that last part isn't like OKC :) ).

In OKC I also had some grrrrreat food, so I'd like to give my mad sojochick blog-props to Cafe de Taipei, Cafe do Brasil, and Ted's. And of course Donna's oishii roast. Yum!!!

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Church Sunday at Memorial Road was one of the best Sunday mornings of my life. First I went to class with one of my favorite people and met the people who had been faithful prayer warriors for me while I was sick. They were excited to meet this Ann girl that they'd heard so much about. And after services I got to go to the International Ministry potluck, a group of people I grew so close to during my college years.

But the worship service was the kicker. It was focused on missions (my weakness of course), and they introduced two new mission teams MRCC is going to support. One was a team of four families to Vienna and the other is a team going to Poland. I'm friends with several of the folks going, so it was especially personal. But talk about pulling the heartstrings. We started by singing "There's a Stirring" (a song I've never really thought to be lyrically compelling, but perhaps morbid), and as we sang it each of the team members took turns standing up from different places in the auditorium and walking to the stage. Then of course there was a great video montage of the different missions around the world MRCC supports (Campinas-- tears!). Kent challenged the congregation to get involved in missions. MRCC's goal for 2007 is to get at least 1000 people involved in missions, whether domestic or international. Then we sang "There's a Stirring" again and of course I cried because it hit a little too close to home. I'll never sing that song the same way again!

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"I feel as if my skin is the only thing keeping me from going everywhere at once."

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In the latest list of songs that tickle me is "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira. Despite the fact that I can appear very nerdy, I'm a sucker for a song with a catchy tune (I used to think that was a cop out for teenagers to listen to crap, but I believe it has some validity-- ie, "My Humps" and "She Bangs"). Although the new Shakira/ Wycleff Jean collaboration is very worldly and immoral ("my hips don't lie"... now there's a piece of tried and true wisdom), I love the line that says, "You make a boy want to learn Spanish."

Were I to design my ideal language learning curriculum, it would involve alcohol and amor. I learned in Japan that alcohol greatly loosens the tongue and gives one confidence to speak in another language. And of course, what is greater a motivator than love? In the words of Donald Miller, "Our 'behavior' will not be changed long with self-discipline, but fall in love and a human will accomplish what he never thought possible."

Yes, liquor and love. I will be the best teacher EVER. ;) Or perhaps just the most popular. Who's ready to enroll? ;)

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Tomorrow I head out to the old homeland, Stephenville. I wrote a few weeks ago that I was going for a wedding shower, but that didn't materialize due to bad weather. I'm going for the wedding of a girl who was my best friend for years. I'm looking forward to it; I haven't been to a wedding in a while. And it is fabulous to see my friend find happiness.

The "G" word

Racism and prejudice have been concerns of mine for several years, so imagine my delight when I heard about a new show called "Black. White." In case you don't know the premise, a black family and a corresponding white family "trade places" for a month or however long through the magic of movie makeup. The families are similar-- age, education, income. The idea is to see how the families experience the world looking through each other's eyes.

Although I think I expected too much, it is an alright program. Of course since it's television, it does have its share of sensationalism and melodrama. But one of the big conflicts on the show between the families, especially the fathers, is the "n" word*. I think it's fairly common that outside of the black community we don't know what to make of it. I can understand how it is confusing, especially when we see African-Americans using it freely amongst friends as a term of endearment. I've heard black people come down on both sides of the issue; in an interview with the cast of "Crash" (a must see by the way), Oprah adamantly claimed that the word should not be used ever by anyone, while Ludacris and Don Cheatle said that it was an African-American symbol of overcoming oppression. I lean more towards one side than the other, but I truly don't think it matters at all what I think. I can just tell you that I would never ever use that word because of the history it carries.

Although I will never understand the power that this word carries to African-Americans, I have gotten just a glimpse. The title refers to the word "gaijin", which is Japanese for foreigner. Several of my Japanese friends would chastise me at this point and say, "No! It's gaikokujin!" But that's kind of the entire point. You see, "gaijin" is made up of 2 kanji (Japanese symbols)-- outside and person. Pretty clear, huh? Well "gaikokujin" translates literally as "outside country person." Most of the Japanese I know consider it rude for a Japanese person to call a foreigner gaijin to their face. I think it gives the message that "you're an outsider, you'll never be one of us."

The thing is, you hear foreigners making gaijin jokes and comments all the time. Unless it's very polite company, I've never heard a foreigner refer to themselves as "gaikokujin." We refer to gaijin hangouts, gaijin idiosyncrasies, and even the gaijin card that we all have to carry. And although I wouldn't get angry, I would think it was impolite for a Japanese person to call me gaijin.

So, is this hypocritical of me? I don't know. Maybe it is, but maybe it's a unity mechanism. Maybe it falls along the train of thought that "no, we'll never be one of them, but we'll always have each other."

I'd like to stress again that the "gaijin" issue doesn't really compare to what African Americans have faced, in most circumstances (you can still find a random elderly Japanese person who hates all foreigners... but I think we have our fair share of those in the US, too). In Japan, foreigners are generally treated with an enormous amount of respect and dignity, as opposed to the relatively recent history of blacks in the US. Just my disclaimer.

But that experience does help me understand.

Originally when I was plotting this post out in my head, I was going to write on the "gringo/a/oes" issue as well, but I feel unqualified. But if my friends with Hispanic experience would like to comment on how they take being called "gringo," please share. Maybe it's not comparable, but I've somewhere along the line acquired the notion that being called a "gringo" was a little jab.

I was also reminded of the word "Gentile."

Any other delicate terms you can think of?

*I think it only exasperates the problem by calling it "the 'n' word," you know, the whole Harry Potter, "the one whose name we do not speak" (Voldemort) issue. But 1) I don't have the guts to use it, 2) someone somewhere would be hurt by it, and 3) I don't want people googling that word and ending up at my site.

Truth is Truth

My personal faith mantra is "God is good. God is faithful." I'm convinced this is the key to my sanity. One of the truths that I hang my hat on is the fact that the Bible is the word of God. Generally, most Christians I know have what I believe to be a somewhat skewed understanding of Biblical truth, usually that is a historically accurate rule book for life. If you're looking for a history book, there are probably a lot of better sources than the Bible. And if a rulebook is what you're looking for, then that could be confusing because sometimes the "rules" contradict each other.
But what I do believe the Bible is is a revelation of the character of God and timeless truth. I read a book a few months ago called Velvet Elvis (an attempt to be the new Blue Like Jazz, but an overall good book), and the author made a point that I took to heart. The Bible is our story, not just the story of a bunch of people thousands of years ago in the middle east. We were the ones who fell in the garden of Eden, we were led out of Egypt, we wandered 40 years in the desert until God handed over the promised land to us, etc etc. It was like being given fresh eyes when I started thinking of the Bible like that. The Bible stops being a historical account of how God once worked and starts being a timeless account of humanness and God's unrelenting faithfulness.
Mike Cope wrote a blog series on the Bible a few weeks ago, and one of the most beautiful points I thought he made was that he feels like "the Bible knows me." I dare suggest that everyone who encounters the Bible in a healthy environment has felt it speak a deep truth they recognize (I say healthy environment because sometimes people have taken that "sword of the spirit" thing the wrong way and chopped off some peoples' heads). I've seen the Word speak to people many times through LST.
I would add to Cope's statement that not only does the Bible know me, but it likes me. As cliche as it is, the Bible is one big love story. I think sometimes we breeze over this statement because it's not a love story we are taught to long for. In the words of Chris Rice, "sometimes love has to drive a nail into it's own hand." It's a true love-- sacrificial and committed and forever.
Not sure what brought this blog on... maybe I'm just falling in love all over again with my true love.

Very Important PSA

If you didn't know I was neurotic before reading this post, you will shortly. :)

One of the great passions of my life is oral hygiene. I haven't always been this way, but somewhere along the line in college the spirit convicted me. Growing up, my family always had their bi-annual dental checkups, and although I always took alright care of my teeth, I usually had at least one cavity.

But it all changed one day in college. I was at a meeting of Outreach, OC's missions club, and for some reason the speaker asked anyone who flossed daily to raise their hand. Out of a room of 50+ students, only one girl raised her hand! I mean, I flossed a couple of times a week, but not every day. I became convinced that this was gross and I must change immediately. So since then I have been a daily flosser. My favorite floss is the plain, waxed, mint kind from Johnson and Johnson, but some others can substitute.

From the daily flossing grew the habit of brushing my teeth thoroughly. At one point in college I would use an electric toothbrush then follow up with a manual toothbrush, although now I'm down to just a manual, but boy what a toothbrush it is!!! I just bought a new one the other day, and decided to upgrade, so I got the Oral B CrossAction Vitalizer. I am already super-impressed and recommend it to everyone. My gums already look a healthier pink.

Along with brushing goes toothpaste, of course. And I happened to run out this week, so I had the pleasure of choosing new toothpaste, which is fun but high pressured for me. I ended up choosing Colgate Total. My priority in toothpaste choice is tatar and plaque control, although the market shows that most people care about whitening. I care about whitening, but for some reason I'm distrustful of whitening toothpastes.

Last but not least is the piece de resistance... Listerine! I can already hear some of you moaning, but really, this is a fabulous product. I think I started using Listerine on the advice of my roommate, Tomoko's, mother. I really find it quite the miracle product. It keeps breath fresh (no nasty morning breath when you wake up), kills germs, and I believe keeps you healthier. I know it burns, but that just means it's working!!! ;)

It is my hope that at least one loyal reader will take inspiration from this blog, and make a positive change in their dental upkeep habits. No telling how much you could save in time, money, and pain if you take simple precautions now! AND I heard on TV the other day that regular brushing and flossing reduces the likelihood of a heart attack. Not really sure about the science of that, but an actual doctor wearing scrubs on TV said it. :)

So go on, make the time and relatively tiny financial investment and do something good for yourself!

Thoughts worth thinking

"Don't allow fear of the unknown to cause you to miss out on what God wants to do through you. Worse than failure is living with the regret of never having stepped out in faith to pursue your vision."
~ Andy Stanley



"No reserve. No retreat. No regrets."
~ William Borden



"We can choose to live more simply that others may simply live. There is enough to go around, but sharing our abundance with others will call us to cut back somewhere, to limit ourselves voluntarily, to live a lifestyle that reflects our knowledge of the condition of people in our world."
~ Paul Borthwick


Blatently stolen from the blog of meu amigo de peito.

Motivation!

As many of you know, I majored in teaching English as a foreign language in college, and I also studied a few langauges. So, as I figure, in theory, I should be pretty good at learning foreign languages since I've studied technique and theory and all of that. But the cold, honest truth is that I'm really not! And while there are a few reasons, I can give you the #1 reason why I and most people have such difficulty learning foreign languages...

MOTIVATION!

Studies show that the true, defining factor of success at foreign language learning is attitude and drive. But I suppose that's probably true in many arenas in life... but we're talking about languages. :)

So I look at my own history. Spanish... yeah I liked it, but I liked it in the sense that you like knick knacks... a fun thing to have and play with once in a while, but not really that big a deal. Hebrew was great; I loved it and did really well while I was actually studying. I think I did have motivation there... a great teacher, the best study partner in the world, and some healthy competetion. :) Japanese... yeah, that didn't go well at all. And I admittedly had a horrible attitude about it from the beginning. Any coincidence? And of course Portuguese... let's just say I've found motivation. :) We'll see how it turns out!

So all that to say... well... not sure what the point of this blog is. Feel free to draw your own conclusions. Tchau!

What, did you think this was going to be some big spiritual anecdote? ;)

Saudade

Thought this might interest those linguists of my friends.

Saudade (pronounced saw-oo-da-ji) is my favorite Portuguese word, unless you're judging strictly by cuteness of the word, in which case it's abacaxi (pineapple-- pronounced ah-ba-ka-shi) or by frequency of word use, in which case it's probably querido/a (dear one-- pronounced ke-ri-do).

This word has been on my mind lately. It even has its own Wikipedia entry, located here. Apparently saudade was ranked in the top ten of most difficult words to translate... in the whole world (interesting list, by the way!).

The simple definition is "homesickness," but if you follow the link you'll see it's more complicated. I think they define it well, as "feeling of longing for something you are fond of, which is gone, but might return in a distant future." It's a word of hope and love, I think.

I think words are an incredible gift from God, and carry enormous power. That's why I feel that "political correctness" (a terrible phrase with negative connotation), or let's say "lexical sensitivity", is so important. Words shape the way we view the world, connect with other people, and oftentimes praise God. God brought the creation into being through speaking words, Jesus spoke words to calm the storm, raise the dead, heal the sick, and teach us to pray. Consider these verses:

The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. --Proverbs 15:4

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. -- James 3: 3-12

I'm thankful that English is a language that borrows words from so many other languages to help get the exact definition. I'm thankful to have other languages to borrow words from when they're more appropriate. And I'm thankful for good times and good friends who give me the fond memories, teaching me exactly what saudade is.

Short and Sassy???

Today I had a consulatation with my hair stylist about the mullet problem. I'm very very tempted to chop it all off... well not ALL off, just even it up. But that will be short short short. I've never had short hair. I'm not sure what to do, but my hair does look ridiculous in its current state. So... opening up the polls... should I go for it and just get it cut? I would post a picture of how I look now, but like I said, my hair looks stupid and I'm too vain for that. :)

Who'd have thought...

It seems that against many odds, I have made it to 24. 23 was quite a year. I lived in Asia, had my first real job, my first real vacation, and then almost died. But hey, we made it.

Here's hoping for 24 (or more) more.

Thought for the day: "I am loved, and life is mine" by the always appropriate Chris Rice

Not a Mullet!

So... one of the side effects of months upon months of malnutrition is hair loss. Yeah. So my hair has thinned out A LOT. When I go to wash my hair I joke with my family that I'm going to "wash my three hairs" (Simpsons joke-- Homer has a 3 hair comb-over).

This whole situation had started to really worry me. I'm not really a vain person, I don't think, but what girl really wants to lose more than half of her hair! Or boy for that matter!

But alas, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I have new hair growth that is about an inch long all over my scalp! But right now it's at a terrible length to work with. It pretty much sticks straight up or out, depending on location. So, between the short hair making an appearance and my thinned-out long hair... I believe it looks like I am sporting a mullet.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Hahaha, I laugh about it, but it does make me sort of self-conscious. But it's a good lesson in humility, I suppose. So if you see me while my hair is still in it's awkward adolescent phase, be kind and remember, it's not a mullet. :)

'Tis So Sweet

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
And to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus says the Lord!”

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!

I heard this song today. Honestly, not one of my favorite songs. I think it's the music... very rigid or something. But today as I listened the words really hit me, and I once again appreciate the beautiful and timeless truth found in so many hymns.

Where better place to put my trust? People disappoint, bodies fail, science only goes so far... God is real, God is truth, God is good, and God is faithful.

I love the line, "How I've proved him o'er and o'er..." I can look not only to my life and the gift of faith I have from God, but also at the lives of so many people I know and love. They've proved that trust in God isn't futile or foolish. And then the end, "O for grace to trust Him more..." Faith is a gift given through the grace of God.

This song (written in 1882-- timeless truths, huh?) reminds me a lot of the Natalie Grant song, "Held". If you haven't heard it, I highly suggest it. It's written specifically about the pain of losing a child, but I think anyone who has gone through a serious trauma can relate well to its message.

Two months is too little.
They let him go.
They had no sudden healing.
To think that providence would
Take a child from his mother while she prays
Is appalling.

Who told us we’d be rescued?
What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?
We’re asking why this happens
To us who have died to live?
It’s unfair.

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held.

This hand is bitterness.
We want to taste it, let the hatred numb our sorrow.
The wise hands opens slowly to lilies of the valley and tomorrow.

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held.

If hope is born of suffering.
If this is only the beginning.
Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held.

I love that. "The promise was when everything fell, we'd be held."

Just a thought for today, folks.

What You Can Do

While I was sick, probably hundreds of people asked my family and me what they could do to help. I'm never really sure what to say when someone asks that, because I'm never sure if they really want to help or if they're just doing social graces. But since I've gotten better I have a good answer.

During my illness and hospital stays, I received several transfusions of blood and plasma (at least 10 units). Sadly, I've never donated blood in my life, although my dad has donated regularly as long as I can remember. I was scared. But I've given lots of blood in the past year and can honestly tell you that it's not bad. I won't lie-- it ain't great-- but it definitely doesn't deserve the drama that I and so many other people give it.

So that to say... please donate blood! If donors hadn't given in T-town and in OKC, I don't know what I would've done! To find out how to go about it, this website is the search results for blood donation. I'm sure wherever you give, your gift will find a grateful recipient. My own dear mother, deathly afraid of needles, made a donation on Wednesday night. And it went just fine.

So go for it, folks! A little stick is worth what it will mean to the recipient. You could save a life! Gambatte kudasai!

Ann-- the high school years

This weekend, barring the unexpected, something wonderful will happen. I will be making a 2 day trip back to my hometown, Stephenville Texas, for a good friend’s wedding shower. I haven’t been there in almost 5 years. Wow. We lived in Stephenville from 1988-1998, or for me, kindergarten through the 10th grade. I love Stephenville. I always did and it will always have a piece of my heart. I could go on and on about this, but I won’t.

Instead, the point of this post is to talk about my high school years. It’s kind of strange, because up until lately I never really thought about high school after I graduated. It was too painful to think about Stephenville, and I didn’t like Pleasant Grove (my high school for 11th and 12th grade), so I just never thought about it. And I never talk about it. Many of my closest friends really don’t know much about my life pre-college, I don’t think. So I want to do a little picture post and give you a brief overview of Ann, the high school years.

My freshman and sophomore year I was in the band. I played the French horn. This is my sophomore band picture. Hot, huh? :)




I loved being in band, and I was pretty good until I got braces. Definitely the funnest part of being a bander was marching at the football games. I had so many good times and fun memories of bus trips and practices. Just today I was looking back through my photo album and my heart just melted to see some of those faces again that I haven’t even thought of in years. Here’s my favorite group picture of us. I’m on the front row, second from the left with my hand to my face.



Another big part of my life my freshman and sophomore year was being manager and scorekeeper for the boys’ basketball teams. I did mainly JV my freshman year and varsity my sophomore year. I loved those guys and the coaches, and it helped that my fellow managers and statisticians happened to be my best friends. So much fun. It was a busy life for those months while basketball and marching season overlapped.



I had a serious boyfriend in high school; his name was Brandon. Our song was “All for You” by Sister Hazel (gee, that dates me!). Well, that’s about all I have to say about him. :)



Although I was always a good student, I never was thought of as “smart” until I moved to Texarkana. I think it’s because I decided to throw myself into school after moving here and signed up for all the hardest classes. School kind of turned into my extra-curricular activity.

But I did manage to have some fun. Here’s a picture of me from my senior prom. Funny thing. I heard once that my senior prom date and dear friend, Robert, happened to be living in Japan while I was. Small world, huh?



And then I graduated. Definitely one of the happiest days of my life, and not even a bitter-sweet happy. Just happy.



I’m leaving out a lot of things and a whole lot of people that I love very much, but that could get really boring really quick. And really long.

So there you go, now I’ve gone and revealed another layer of my life to you. :)

Quotemeal

The Quotemeal for the day is this:

To love is to be vulnerable.

— C.S. Lewis

Very true, very appropriate.

Campbellism Exposed!

Like the majority of my blog readership, my church heritage is the Church of Christ, who are also called "Campbellites" after one of the founders of the restoration movement that spawned our denomination (and anyone who wants to expound on this-- you know who you are-- feel free). We aren't perfect, but we aren't horrible, either*.
Well, the primary Bible bookstore in our town is run by the Baptists (called "The Baptist Bookstore," but they let the goyim in). A couple of years ago I was looking around the store and happened upon their "tract rack" (yes, I suppose the CofC doesn't have a monopoly on them...). One of their tracts jumped out at me, because it was titled, "Campbellism Exposed! One Hundred One Reasons for Not Being a Campbellite" by Ben M. Bogard, LLD (and if anyone knows what LLD stands for, please let me know). It was only $.99 so I bought a copy.
Well it's quite interesting, let me tell you. This stuff is even better than "The Onion" or "The Daily Show"!
Mr. Bogard gives his reasons (all 101 of them) and then expounds on them. Here are some of my favorite reasons (just the titles):

• Campbellites claim to have no creed, which is equivalent to claiming to be fools.
  
• Campbellism makes priests of its preachers.
• Campbellites make sport of praying for sinners.
• Campbellism is made up mostly of people who have been excluded from other churches. (key quote: "The Campbellite church is an ecclesiastical slop-tub...")
• Campbellism and Mormonism are twins.
• Nearly all of the other churches have some truth, but Campbellism is false at every point. (key quote: "They are wrong on everything.")

The next two are my absolute favorites and have earned the status of being published in whole here.

#12- Campbellites everywhere have a contemptible grin that nobody else in the world has. That which is characteristic of them everywhere can't be a happen so.
Just dispute the Campbellite doctrine at any point, or preach heartfelt salvation in their presence, and at once they begin to grin.
Nobody on earth has that grin except the Campbellites. I began to notice it many years ago in Kentucky. I wondered if it was not just a local matter produced by ill-breeding. But I went to Tennessee and found the same grin. Then I went to Missouri and they also had the grin. Then I moved to Arkansas, and they still grinned. Then I went to Texas and Oklahoma, and the grin abides. There is something in the Campbellite doctrine that produces it. You can dispute with
Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Mormons and infidels, and you will never see that grin. But even the boys and girls among the Campbellites have it. The grin shows a mingled feeling of contempt, insolence, ill-breeding, ignorance and wickedness, a combination to be found in no one else but the Campbellites.

and my other favorite...

#101-- A poem entitled "The Campbellite Imagination"

We have a people here on earth--
And Campbellite is their name--
Who don't believe the Word of God,
And hence reject the same.

They have an imaginary God,
An imaginary Son,
An imaginary Spirit,
And these three are not one.

Their imaginary Lord
Has an imaginary plan
And they imagine that this saves
A real sinful man.

With imaginary gospel
Preached in imagination, too,
They catch a hardened sinner
And plunge him right through.

He say that he believes
In this imaginary Christ,
Has imaginary safety
In his sin-polluted life.

Then the preacher takes him in
On an unscriptural plan,
And decides the state
Of the poor deluded man.

And the Devil surely laughs
At these deluded folk,
Because he knows if they are right,
Religion is a joke.

Do you imagine they are saved,
And will enter heaven's land?
No, surely they will each one fall
Into the Devil's hand.

Let's preach and pray, and work and sing
Yea, call upon our God,
'Till even the Campbellites repent,
And trust in Jesus' blood.

There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's veins,
Even Campbellites may plunge in
And lose their guilty stains.

Oh goodness, I'm laughing even as I type! I promise to you guys that this is serious a tract written by a serious man in a serious Christian book store.

If anyone's interested in seeing a copy of this, let me know and I'll see if copies are still available. What I wouldn't give to talk to Mr. Bogard! I'll investigate and see if he's still alive. :)

So there you go-- the truth on us Campbellites! And I had you fooled all along! You just can't see my contemptible grin from behind my computer screen! Muah ha ha!

*This is not a blog on denominationalism. I believe in equal denominational opportunity-- each tradition's followers have the same potential for both good and craziness.

Oh What a Night

Since the past many months have been mostly melancholy, I have been trying to do things lately that I know make me happy.

For example, while I was in the hospital I saw the cast of a new broadway show, Jersey Boys, perform. It is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Their performances were stellar and I was just enamored. So recently I found the cast recording on amazon, and I ordered it. It arrived today, and I've already listened to it three times. I love singing along but my voice gets so horse from all that falsetto! My songs of the moment are "Walk Like a Man" and "My Eyes Adored You," but my all-time forever favorite is "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You." So this is my musical recommendation of the week.

Also, lately I've been catching up with old friends. I grew up in Stephenville, Texas from kindergarten through my sophomore year of high school. It is my hometown, and my heart will always be there, but I had lost touch with just about every person from there (except Nina!). But this week I've been reconnecting which brings back all kinds of memories. Ha, facebook actually serves a purpose! And actually I think I'm going to go back (for the first time in five years) in a couple of weeks for a friend's wedding shower. That'll be interesting!

Continuing with the theme of remembering, last night I called a dear friend and we reminisced over past adventures and I laughed til there were tears streaming down my face. And that is priceless.

Today I took time to look through all my photo albums. It made me realize that I have had a lot of fun with a lot of amazing people in my little life! The one that probably got me the most was the album from my second trip to Brazil. It's just so nice to look at myself in those pictures and realize that I was truly, truly happy then. It makes me think about what I want to do after I fully recover. I think I've been following my mind too much the past couple of years, and it's time to follow my heart for a while, if that makes sense.

In superficial news, I also love the show "Dancing with the Stars." Drew and Stacy are amazing. I think dancing is awesome, and would love to try it. But first you need a partner, and I have no partner, and if I did I doubt he'd want to take dancing lessons. And I wouldn't want to be one of those girls who makes her other half do something like dance classes. :)

That's all for now! I'll close by saying that if you've found yourself down lately, do something that you know will cheer you up. Crank up those great songs that you love to belt out (when no one's listening), look through old photo albums of the good times you've had, or catch up with an old friend.

Tchau!

I'm so vain...

... I probably think this blog is about me. Oh wait, it is. :)

Although I find this incredibly vain, I am interested to see what people would say, even if just one person participates.

If the spirit moves you, just go to this website:
http://kevan.org/johari?name=sojochick
and pick 6 words that you feel describe me best. It would probably only take you a couple of minutes.

Arigato! Gracias! Obrigada! Thanks!

Love is different than you think...*

I've been wondering what to post on Valentine's Day (yes, I think in advance about blogs... yes I am a dork), and I really haven't come up with any great ideas. I have nothing terribly clever, wise, deep, or funny to say about love that hasn't already been said.

So that said, my prayer and wish for you is that you will feel the love in your life-- from God, family, or friends, and that you will be able to accept that love and reflect it on to the people you come in contact with.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

PS-- The title is one of my favorite song quotes about love. Gold star if you can identify the artist!

Book Recommendation-- Five Love Languages

Yesterday... or technically the day before yesterday, I read a book that I'd like to recommend. It's called The Five Love Languages for Singles by Gary Chapman. I read the original Five Love Languages my freshman year in college (on the advice of my dear friend and roomie, Angie), and it really opened my eyes as to how I could better love the people in my life. The original one is intended for married people, but the principles can be applied to all your relationships.

Simply stated, the premise is that each person has one of five primary love languages. They are:

• Quality time
• Words of affirmation
• Gifts
• Acts of service
• Physical touch

Most people have one primary language that they speak, and one that they most respond to. Many times they are the same, but sometimes they're not. The author is careful to point out that while each of these is a language of love, people usually have one that they favor above all others.

For example, my love language is "words of affirmation." I think this probably correlates somewhat to my being an English major and loving to study words and such. I tend to also give this as my way of showing affection to others.

But here's the key. Let's say I have a friend whose primary love language is physical touch, but I never give them a hug or pat their shoulder. Then even though I praise them with words all the time, they might not feel loved. I need to make the effort to realize what my loved ones' love languages are and speak to them in a manner that shows them how much I care.

It's really a concept that can revolutionize your relationships.

I usually avoid singles books because they're very hokey in my opinion... very much of the "bag 'em, tag 'em, and drag 'em home" type mentality (yes, I actually saw that literal phrased used in a singles book once-- I can tell you which one if you ask me). But this book is about learning to love better. Yes, it was geared towards relationships singles (and singles of all types) might be in, but there is a version for marrieds, one for men, and one for dealing with children. There might be others I don't know of, you can check on amazon. So I recommend that all you bloggies choose a book that best suits your situation and check it out for yourself.

Anyone else out there read it? Anyone know their love language? Or have a story of how learning the love languages has improved a relationship?

Self-addiction

"The most difficult lie I've ever had to contend with is this: Life is a story about me."
--Donald Miller in Blue Like Jazz

Today I came to the realization that I have have a self addiction. I think being sick has had a lot to do with it, because when you're sick you really do become the center of the universe. When you're in the hospital you have a little buzzer and nurses come at your beck and call, your parents will do or get anything you want, people come to see you and bring you gifts, and you get cards all the time. It's pretty cool, in a way. :)

However, as I make the transition back into normal life, part of me misses the attention I received. Don't get me wrong-- I am thrilled to be going back to "normal", but the selfish side of me still wants to be catered to. Just proves I'm human, I guess. :)

Once again, as often happens, I come to the end of writing a post and think, "why am I posting this for the world to read?" Maybe it's kind of like step 1 in addiction recovery-- admitting you have a problem. Maybe it's for accountablity. Maybe it's to help edify others. Maybe just to make you think. Who knows.

"Love is a many splendored thing...

... love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love."* :)

If you don't live under a rock or haven't been in a store for the past month, you know that next Tuesday is Valentine's Day. As usual, this will be a day of mixed emotions for me. On the one hand I am so so lucky because I get the chance to love so many people in my life. On the other hand, I am a single girl. I'm usually not anxious about the fact that I'm single, which is really a gift from God. But I will admit that as I approach 24 I'm starting to feel a little old.

However, when I get to thinking about how I "should" have a man by now, I am reminded of all of the dorky people I know who get married. If they can do it, so can I! And then I remember all of the fantastic single people I know and think, "they're smart, good looking, and holy... I'm in good company!"

Despite the moments of anxiousness, overall I trust God's good taste and sense of timing when it comes to finding the right dude for me. Til then, I'll just keep my eyes open. ;)

*Gold star for the person who can identify the quote!

Angels of Compassion

Angels of Compassion-- me, Bek, Summer, Lori, Alissa; Angie, Amber, Meredith, Misty
Spring of 2003


These are my girls. We were all in the incoming class of 2000 at OCU, specifically the honors program. Through the years we bonded through homework, Bible studies, personal crises, engagements, weddings, graduations, practical jokes, career searches, and all of the other things you experience in your college years.

This picture was one of the last nights we were all together. As we geographically drifted apart because of marriages, graduations, and intense load work in our major classes, our friendships took on a new role. One of us moved up north to begin a new chapter of her life and found herself homesick and lacking direction, so we rallied around her and a couple even make a trip up to see her. Another gave everything up to move to Central America to spread the light of the gospel and again, trips, emails, and care packages are there to show we support her in her work. When I was sick, these amazing women rallied around me with visits (both in person and through a personalized DVD), gifts, cards, and email.

These are just the examples I thought of off the top of my head to show the ways that we have stuck together through thick and thin to cry with each other tears of joy and pain. I know for a fact that "smaller" gifts of love are passed between all of us each day through emails and phone calls and thinking back on the great memories we share.

I know we're just a few years out of college and as the years go by it will be easier to lose touch. But these girls are some of my best friends, and no matter how far we spread out or now infrequent the emails become, I have faith that there will always be a special bond of strong love between us.

Some of my best friends are guys. But there is a special purpose and gift to having good friends of the same sex. In fact, I've always said that you have to be suspicious of a person who has trouble keeping friends of the same sex. A strong group of male friends is one of my criteria for a potential spouse.

So those are my girls. Once Bailey McBride, upon hearing of some of the stories of our friendship, remarked that we were like "angels of compassion" to each other. I couldn't think of a more appropriate title for these women.

Book of Daniel

This week "The Book of Daniel," an NBC series, was cancelled due to pressure on the network and sponsors from crazy Christian fundamentalists.

The complaints against it were varied, but included the fact that the main character, a priest, and his family had an assortment of issues. The priest popped pain pills, the wife was a semi-alcoholic, the son was gay, the other son slept around. I never understood why this was an issue of contention for Christians. Isn't it about time that Christians are portrayed in the media as real people with real struggles? Do we all really want to be looked at as Ned Flanderses??? Moreover, the family was also portrayed unconventionally. Sure they had their problems, but they all really loved each other, despite their problems.

Another source of contention was that Jesus was portrayed as a character in the show. The priest would often talk to him, seeking encouragement and advice and help. Jesus was kind of a hippie on the show, but in the good sense. He was laid back and kind, and even funny. There was never a time spoken where I thought to myself, "Hey, Jesus would never say that!" In fact, I thought it was quite a good portrayal of what Jesus would probably say. I don't know what the beef with Jesus was, but if the detractors actually watched it they might realize it wasn't bad.

The other big issue was the fact that the church portrayed accepted homosexuality. This is the only issue I could see as being an actual stumbling block to Christians. But the church depicted is an Episcopal church, and that reflects their beliefs (I guess, I haven't really studied Episcopalian creed). I think it comes down to people saying, "I don't want people to get the idea this is what I stand for and accept as a Christian when it isn't." BUT. If we're going to start getting mad about a misrepresentation of Christianity, let's get Pat Robertson off the air. How about all those "send me your retirement and I'll pray for you" televangelists?

Ugh. I'm pretty ticked about the whole deal. I liked the show. Yeah, it was a little "busy" with it's 2345 story lines, but I enjoyed it.

I don't know, maybe some of you guys wanted the show cancelled. Care to share your thoughts?

I wasn't tagged, but I still want to play

I saw this on another blog, and although I was not "tagged," I'm going to do it anyway. Consider yourself tagged if you want blog filler. :)

Four Jobs I’ve Had:
1) Scorekeeper/statistician for high school basketball games-- funnest. job. ever.
2) Receptionist at a dry cleaner-- maybe I should tell y'all some of my stories from that place...
3) Telemarketer for OC-- bad on so many levels
4) Writing tutor-- oh man, I have some stories from there too...

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over:
1) Dumb and Dumber
2) Legally Blonde
3) Singing' in the Rain
4) The Wedding Singer

Four Books I Could Read Over and Over
1) Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
2) Leaving Ruin by Jeff Barryman
3) Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
4) East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Four Places I’ve Lived
1) Stephenville, TX
2) Texarkana, TX
3) Edmond, OK
4) Hitachi, Japan

Four TV Shows I Watch
1) Dancing with the Stars
2) Days of our Lives
3) Oprah
4) Desperate Housewives

Four Places I’ve Been On Vacation
1) Walt Disney World
2) Singapore
3) Nasu, Japan
4) Rio de Janiero, Brasil (folks who went with me-- would this qualify as a vacation??? hahaha)

Four Websites I Visit Daily
1) gmail.com
2) www.thehungersite.com
3) www.edition.cnn.com
4) prayingmantis.blogspot.com

Four Favorite Foods
1) Grilled cheese sandwich
2) Cheese ravioli
3) Fried rice (the kind I make)
4) Cherry vanilla coke from Sonic

Four Places I’d Like to Be Right Now
1) Brasil
2) Japan
3) Edmond
4) Tennessee
Notice I stayed vague so I could be in more than one city at once in these places. :)

Omer of Manna

While I was in the hospital in November and December, many many packages arrived from Japan containing most of my earthly belongings. I have avoided opening them for the longest time because I just don't want to think about all that situation. But yesterday I broke down and opened a box. It was a wonderful box, too; just like Christmas. It had a bunch of decorations from my walls, my jewelry box, a photo album, and some books.

Among the books was a notebook that I started when I was in college. It's one of those black and white, marblized composition books. I think I got the idea from reading "Passion and Purity" by Elisabeth Elliot, in which she describes keeping a journal of quotes and scriptures and songs that encourage her. She named hers her "Omer of manna," taken from Exodus 16:32, "Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread with which I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt." When I began writing in my journal I was going through a rough time and wanted to record the words that gave me peace and encouragement. And I think it's one of the best things I've ever done. So many times I have looked back on those entries and they've helped remind me of the truth that can be easy to forget when times are tough. It's also nice to look back and reflect on where I've been and what God's brought me through.

The reason I share all this is that I encourage everyone to try this for a while. It's not something you have to update daily, but when a scripture, song, quote, poem, whatever it may be really speaks to you, jot in down in your journal. You never know when it will come in handy again in your own life or maybe the life of a friend.

Ann's Quizlette

Take My Quiz - on - QuizYourFriends.com!

Please someone take it. I don't want to be a loser. :)

Blog readers should be at an advantage on this quiz!

NOTE:

Two notes from the creator of said quiz.

First, I made a mistake. It's on the question where I asked which movie I'd choose. If you make the question negative, "which movie would I not choose", then it'll work. Otherwise don't worry about it. :)

Secondly, I actually made the quiz twice, losing the first version which one question from being done. The second time around I forgot to include my favorite question. It was the following:

"Which of the following do I believe is a 'man job.'"
a. taking out the trash
b. driving
c. putting up the groceries
d. all of the above

The answer is D. :)

How I'm doing and how I'm feeling

During one of my college classes, a social rights advocate of the '70s came to speak to our class on racism today. One of my classmates asked him "What do you feel about..." and he answered, "Do you want to know what I think or how I feel?"

The most popular questions I get these days are "How are you doing/how are you feeling?" I answer them the same, because I know people mean the same thing in wording it both ways. I am doing great, praise be to God, although I don't know how God works in all of this. I have gained 20 pounds in two weeks (wow!) and I have great strength and endurance. I went to Target for an hour and a half last Saturday, without a wheelchair. I'm able to eat anything I want and I haven't gotten sick in several weeks. Incredible, considering where I was a month ago.

Yesterday I had checkups with the stomach doctor and surgeon in Oklahoma City. They were both very pleased with my progress. The surgeon dismissed me and the stomach doctor will see me again in March. And I've been instructed to stop my nightly tube feedings after I gain another ten pounds. Great news.

I am feeling alright. I've been through some major trauma over the last 7/8 months, and that's taken it's toll. Of course I'm happy to be doing better. Honestly as I write this I don't know what to say. A lot of how I feel is too private to put on a blog for the world to see, ya know?

So there's your update, since I've gone a while without telling you how I'm doing. Thank you 70 x 7 for your love and encouragement. It carried me. Sunday at church we sang "Faithful Love", and the second verse reminded me of my friends:

Faithful love, calms each fear
Reaches down, dries each tear,
Holds my hand when I can’t stand on my own.

Faithful Love
From Above
Came to earth to show the father’s love.
And I’ll never be the same,
For I’ve seen faithful love face to face,
And Jesus is His name.

What on earth?

I love words. I think words have innate power and beauty. However some people do... amazing things with words. Here are two examples I experienced on the drive up to OKC Sunday.

The first was a marquee for a church building in the metropolis of DeKalb, Texas. It said, no lie:
"The Bible-- believe it or be wrong."
I burst out laughing when I saw it. I just could not believe the sheer arrogance. But hey, I should learn not to be surprised when it comes to church-folk.

The second was a song we heard on the radio. What you must understand is that there is a stretch of the journey from T-town to OKC in which you can pick up nothing but country stations. I'm not a country hater, but I'm not a big fan, either. But when this song came on the radio, I again burst out laughing when I realized what they were saying. Here are the words to the chorus, again, no lie:
"At that honky tonk badonkadonk
Keepin' perfect rhythm
Make ya wanna swing along
Got it goin' on
Like Donkey Kong
And whoo-wee
Shut my mouth, slap your grandma
There outta be a law
Get the Sheriff on the phone
Lord have mercy, how's she even get them britches on
That honky tonk badonkadonk"

I understood this song only because my sister had informed me a few weeks ago that a "badonkadonk" is a shapely booty. So... yeah... what a song. :) And y'all were picking on the "Cartoon Song"??? :)

So there ya go. Hope you were as amused as I was.

Thoughts on why I can never meet Chris Rice

Although this may appear to be a blog about Chris Rice, it's not. It's about fantasy.

If you know me well or have been a long time blog reader, you know that I simply adore Chris Rice's music. I won't try to start to explain how I feel about his songwriting or I'll never shut up. Let's just say it's... wonderful. :) Although the fact is that I only know Chris Rice through his songwriting and brief comments on a DVD from a concert I have, I really don't know the man Chris Rice. But because his music speaks to me on such a deep spiritual level, I feel like I do know him. My mind has conjured up this image of him as a person, and I have put that person on a pedestal as nearly perfect. It's not something I did consciously, but I've done it. For example, because of the deep nature of many of his songs, I would expect Chris to be rather serious and deep most of the time. We could sit in coffee shops for hours brooding over popular theological points. However, the fact is that Chris is primarily a youth leader, and that job lends itself to being rather... not so serious the majority of the time.

This leads to reason number one that I can't meet Chris Rice. Expectation. As my dear friend Jess pointed out to me the other night, "You can't meet him. That'd ruin the fantasy." He couldn't be just who I wanted him to be, I would have to acknowledge who he is. Tied in along with this is a point that I gleaned from the Oprah DVD commentary on her interview with Paul McCartney. Oprah felt about McCartney much like I feel about Chris. She idolized him, put him on that pedestal. In the commentary she says that she had such great hopes for this meeting. Knowing how silly and unrealistic it was, she was honest about how she hoped he'd react to meeting her. She said (paraphrased), "I wanted him to like me. I wanted him to say, 'Please, be my friend. Come away with me and we can spend the rest of our lives hanging out together, because I think you're cool.' But, he didn't say that." I'm like that with Chris. I'd want him to want to be my friend, to like me, to think I was deep and holy. But chances are that if I ever got to the concert and got to shake his hand, I'd just be another fan that he would take a photo with. And then where would my fantasy be? In the toilet. :) And what if, God forbid, he didn't like me? What if he was conservative? :) What would I do then? I shudder at the thought. :) So, be it healthy or not, I think I'd rather hold onto my fantasy than have it dashed.

I write about this because I believe that it's not just Oprah and I who have these idols (this term used loosely, please no comments on my worship of Chris Rice). Surely some of you, my friends, have these in your own life. If you feel the spirit moving you, please give an amen and perhaps who your person is in the comments section.

I feel somewhat safe in having my fantasy person be Chris Rice, who lives far away in Tennessee and I doubt I will ever meet, let alone have any kind of deeper conversation with him. Like I said before, I don't know if this is healthy or not (feel free to give your opinions). But I do know that some people's idols are in their real lives. Friends or boy/girlfriends or parents or children. This is so risky and leaves so many people hurt in it's wake.

Well, I have run out of thoughts on this subject. Congrats if you made it all the way through. And thanks for all the good comments on the Derek Webb CD. I should say that I do have a special place in my heart for KLOVE because it has ministered to me for so many years inbetween the twinkie songs. :)

Songs you won't hear on KLOVE :)

While I was in the hospital, one of my dear friends sent me the new Derek Webb CD, Mockingbird. I have been meaning to blog on it for a while because a) I think it's awesome and b) it is very... different from most Christian music.

I like to read the lyrics to songs the first time I listen to them so I can know what the actual message is. The first song that really caught my attention was "A King and a Kingdom." Here are the lines that struck me:

my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man
my first allegiance is not to democracy or blood
it's to a king & a kingdom

there are two great lies that i’ve heard:
“the day you eat of the fruit of that tree, you will not surely die”
and that Jesus Christ was a white, middle-class republican
and if you wanna be saved you have to learn to be like Him

My jaw absolutely dropped when I heard that! Not from horror, but because I've never heard anything like this in Christian music! Oh but wait, there's more.

One of my favorite songs on the CD is called, "I Hate Everything." Here's the chorus:

it’s been one of those kinds of days
and i feel so out of place
and i hate everything, everything
i hate everything but you

Typically I despise the word "hate" and think it is used far too casually by many people, but here I think it's cute. Who hasn't had one of those days where they "hate" the world and just want to be with/talk to that one person, be it a boyfriend/girlfriend, friend, or dog. But can't you just see KLOVE playing a song called "I Hate Everything"? Heehee, that makes me laugh.

Next up on the list is a powerful song called "Rich Young Ruler," which has earned the entire song being posted:

poverty is so hard to see
when it’s only on your tv and twenty miles across town
where we’re all living so good
that we moved out of Jesus’ neighborhood
where he’s hungry and not feeling so good
from going through our trash
he says, more than just your cash and coin
i want your time, i want your voice
i want the things you just can’t give me

so what must we do
here in the west we want to follow you
we speak the language and we keep all the rules
even a few we made up
come on and follow me
but sell your house, sell your suv
sell your stocks, sell your security
and give it to the poor
what is this, hey what’s the deal
i don’t sleep around and i don’t steal
i want the things you just can’t give me

because what you do to the least of these
my brothers, you have done it to me
because i want the things you just can’t give me

What a beautiful call for social justice. This really made me reconsider the story of the rich young ruler. In my own self-righteousness, I never really identified myself with him. But if we in America aren't the rich young rulers, then who is?

"My Enemies are Men Like Me" is so blunt and to the point, it really speaks for itself:

how can i kill the ones i’m supposed to love
my enemies are men like me
i will protest the sword if it’s not wielded well
my enemies are men like me

peace by way of war is like purity by way of fornication
it’s like telling someone murder is wrong
and then showing them by way of execution

when justice is bought and sold just like weapons of war
the ones who always pay are the poorest of the poor

because i would rather die
i would rather die
i would rather die
than to take your life

The last song I want to talk about is "Love is not Against the Law." Again, a strong commentary on loving enemies:

politics or love can make you blind or make you see
make you a slave or make you free
but only one does it all
and it’s giving up your life for the ones you hate the most
it’s giving them your gown when they’ve taken your clothes
it’s learning to admit when you’ve had a hand
in setting them up in knocking them down

love is not against the law
love is not against the law

are we defending life
when we just pick and choose
lives acceptable to lose
and which ones to defend
‘cause you cannot choose your friends
but you choose your enemies
and what if they were one
one and the same
could you find a way to love them both the same
to give them your name

Well there you go. When something impacts me as much as this CD did, I just feel a need to share it on the blog, even though it makes for a lengthy post that I doubt many will make it through. :)

Derek Webb is a modern day prophet, and it seems that each of his CDs tackle a different issue. I'm glad he had the intestinal fortitude to tackle these subjects.

As the title says, I doubt we'll be hearing KLOVE play these songs anytime before Jesus comes. :)

In the spotlight

I'm trying to get back into blogging an talk about things other than my illness, so here goes.

Seems like my dear alma mater, OC, has been getting some attention lately. Apparently they were trying to implement a policy in which an employee of the university who gets a divorce is susceptible to being terminated, if the divorce is not scripturally sound. Due to a lot of negative press the official policy has been done away with.

I'd heard rumors that this was happening, but it was confirmed today when Mike Cope blogged about it. This of course means that all of the Church of Christ blogging world knows about it now. Grrrrrreat. It kind of made me mad that he wrote about it, but I think that was my pride in my school coming out. I was hoping to keep this dark side hidden from public view, ya know? It reminds me of when Anne Coulter was scheduled to speak at Harding and the blogging world went nuts in protest (she ended up being cancelled). Anyway, I read some of the comments on Cope's blog and of course some people were having a field day picking at OC and by association, the Christian Chronicle (which also is close to my heart).

I'm a little torn on what to think about the policy. My first reaction is negative, because the policy is being portrayed as a hard line, "divorced and you're gone" kind of thing. But knowing the leadership of the school, I know that's not true. These are people of compassion and faith and love. And also, I have to think that we have to be holy as a Christian university, and by that I mean we must be set apart. That's why we have daily chapel, that's why we require Bible classes. Shouldn't we have high standards for faculty and administration? Bailey McBride (my hero) wrote a great article about this subject here. I don't know. I go back and forth with myself. Besides, it doesn't really matter what I think, anyway. :)

It just frustrates me that this stupid policy is getting so much attention when there are so many great things about OC. But on the other hand, I think it is good for attention to be drawn to things like this going on in "our fellowship" so we can hold each other accountable. Iron sharpening iron and all that. ;)