Are you a Dixie or a Yank?

Take this Quiz to find out!

A Psalm

God is my strong rock in whom I trust,

and all my confidence I rest in her.

Deep in my mother’s womb, she knew me;

before my limbs were formed, she yearned for me.

Each of my movements she remembers with compassion,

and while I was still unseen, she did imagine me.

Her strength brought me forth into the light;

it was she who delivered me.

Hers were the hands that held me safe;

she cherished me upon my mother’s breast.

When I stammer, she forms the words in my mouth,

and when I am silent, she has understood my thought.

If I shout and rage, she hears my plea and my uncertainty.

When I am afraid, she stays close to me,

and when I am full of terror, she does not hide her face.

If I struggle against her, she will contain me,

and when I resist her, she will match my strength.

But if I am complacent, she confronts me;

when I cling to falsehood, she undermines my pride;

for she is jealous for my integrity,

and her longing is for nothing less than truth.

To all who are weak she shows compassion,

and those who are downtrodden she causes to rise.

But she will confound the arrogant at the height of their power,

and the oppressor she will throw to the ground;

the strategies of the hard-hearted she will utterly confute.

God pities the fallen, and I will love her:

she challenges the mighty, and I desire her with my whole heart.

God is the rock in whom I put my trust,

and all my meaning is contained in her;

for without God there is no security,

and apart from her there is no place of safety.

grateful

Mimi’s candied sweet potatoes
bubble
releasing thick, sweet aroma
sanctifying my kitchen with their incense.

Nana’s stuffing patties
shaped
into small round cakes
remind me of my daughterhood.

Mom’s mashed potatoes
piling
higher and higher on the plate
comfort me with their taste of home.

Women of the past and present
preparing a feast…
stirring up a prayer.

Authority and the Spirit

In a culture where all outside authority is rejected and there is deep belief in listening to one’s own voice and experieces, what role does faith play?

Is faith more than a mere reliance on outward authority? What about faith in oneself to fully live into one’s humanity and the potential there as a created being in the image of God? Jurgen Moltmann, when speaking to SPU students and staff a couple of weeks ago, shared his thoughts on despair and lack of hope as the greatest “sin” and the always-present partner of brutality and violence. Losing faith in humanity’s calling and lapsing into non-creativity that fails to imagine and bring into existence the Kingdom of God is certainly a temptation and oft-trodden path chosen by humanity (myself included). And this coming from a man who survived WWII and witnessed its horrors firsthand.

So what do we then have faith in? I think the Spirit, as a full person of the Trinity, who both lives within me and authoritatively speaks into my life helps me with the authority question. God is not outside of and above, handing down orders. Nor is God submissive to my own whims and desires. God partners with me as a real person in the form of the Holy Spirit. I am challenged, comforted, inflamed and brought to deep thankfulness for the Spirit’s presence in my life and indeed in the world’s life. This puts responsibility on myself and God. We are partners in this process. Sometimes I wrestle with God, as Jacob did, demanding my blessing, only to walk away in awe of the power and love of the One I have just encountered.

We must rethink how we understand God’s authority in light of the rejection of outside authority my generation and our culture experiences. I, too, deeply question outside authority and at the same time am troubled by the postmodern sole reliance on our own intuition and feelings as the way to live our lives. We need a deeper pneumatology (understanding / doctrine of the Spirit). We must reclaim the word “authority” itself, redeeming its meaning and looking for new ways to express God’s work in and through us as authoritative AND bound up in servanthood. Thoughts?

The Myriad

Hey All…

Here’s a request to support my friend Steven’s band…The Myriad…they made it to the top 6 on MTV’s Dew Circuit Breakout tour and you can vote an unlimited amount of times for them until Nov. 20th. We want them to go all the way!

They are an amazing group with cool sounds. Show some love and check them out: http://dewcircuitbreakout.mtv2.com/artist/default.aspx?artist=200

http://www.rhapsody.com/indiehub

Pumpkin extravaganza!

My friend Meredith and I hosted a “Pumpkin Party” last weekend and lets just say it was a gourd time had by all. Yes, the party was filled with really bad puns like that. We ate a lot of sugar (since pumkin flavored things have to have sugar in them), carved some beautiful pumpkins, and all sat by the fire until late into the evening. I love Autumn…our friends…fireplaces…and my big pumpkin I am so proud of!! I got at least 3 compliments by 5 and 6 year old trick or treaters on Halloween. Enjoy the pics!

pause

I discovered a leaf today. Or rather, I should say it discovered me. I was on my lunch break and decided to walk around the campus and enjoy the shy Seattle sun that had finally decided to come greet the world.

And there it was. Waving its palm at me as if to say “Pick me! pick me!” At least that is what I hope it said as I plucked it from the only home it had ever known.

I held it in my hand and turned it over slowly, thinking of how often I walk by not noticing this beautiful creation, so intricate and full of life.

It was deep

green, almost

emerald

in its richness

and all around

its feathery edges,

red

flames

licked the air.

I stopped and smiled at the leaf, then carefully pressed it between the pages of my book. I could have stood wondering all day long.

Some people say this earth is irreparably broken, doomed to burn. But as I stood and held that leaf, hope filled me like it hasn’t in a long time. Beauty is and will be upon this earth in greater fullness than we can even imagine.

Just listen to the leaves…they flutter and spin and are consumed by autumn’s fire and frost. And yet I will wager my life on the fact that they will reappear, signalling new life and hope in a few short months.

Just when I am sure I can’t stand this world and am tempted with the rest to join the burgeoning ranks of the cynical and brutal, and admittedly I do join them, I am reminded that in fact I have fallen in love with this world, my home, and find in every tree and in every person mystery, life, death, fire and hope…God.

Moltmann at SPU

To all MHGS students/Seattle Friends who might be interested…Jurgen Moltmann is coming to SPU October 24, 2007 for the annual Day of Common Learning. I am so excited to attend this- he is one of my favorite thinkers…you can read about him below. Make sure to get there early! It starts at 10:00 and is at the Royal Brougham Pavilion. You can access a campus map at www.spu.edu.
_____________

2007 Day of Common Learning
October 24, 2007

The day will begin on Wednesday, October 24th, with a public keynote address by Dr. Jürgen Moltmann, Emeritus Professor of Theology at the University of Tübingen. Click [here] to view Moltmann Moments on iTunes U! (3 short video clips produced by the Office of University Ministries.)
In the afternoon, the Center for Scholarship and Faculty Development will hold two concurrent one-hour sessions of forums, seminars and panel presentations, led by faculty, staff and students, and open to the public.
For directions to SPU and building locations please click [here].
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jürgen Moltmann
Wednesday, October 24, 200710:00 am - 11:00 am
Royal Brougham Pavilion

About Dr. Moltmann:
Since the publication of Theology of Hope in 1964, Moltmann established himself as one of the world’s leading protestant theologians. His Christian faith began with a conversion experience as a prisoner of war in World War II. He was drafted into the German Army in 1944 and surrendered to the first British soldier he encountered in Belgium .
Moltmann was appointed as Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Tübingen in 1967 and is now Emeritus Professor of Theology at Tübingen. The central themes of his work include a theology of hope, a theology of the cross and a theology of the Trinity. For a complete bibliography click [here].

i think i can…i think i can…

To all three of you who still check my blog, I am sorry for being a lousy poster this summer. Schoolwork has piled up…and when I say piled, I mean like turned into a big huge mountain. That’s right…big huge. (my vocabulary is somehow decreasing as the amount of papers increases!) I want to call all of our minds to a favorite childhood book many of us may remember. It has come to mind frequently and I feel I must share the encouragement.

To all MHGS students trying to finish the semester, just remember, if that small, discouraged, incredibly bright blue Little Engine did it, so can we.

Fun times

Here are some pics from our 4th of July party and recent camping trip. We have had a blast these last couple of weekends. This most recent camping trip was to celebrate our anniversary- 3 years baby!